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OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE 


Descriptive  and  Biographical  Record  of 


SARATOGA  COUNTY 


NEW  YORK 


PREPARED   AND   PUBLISHED   UNDER  THE   AUSPICES   OF 


The  Saratogian 


The  Boston  History  Company,  Publishers 
iSgg 


PREFACE. 


To  record  all  the  interesting  events  transpiring  in  a  county  so  rich 
in  history  as  Saratoga;  to  note  the  development  of  all  its  industries,  to 
follow  the  career  of  each  of  its  various  institutions,  would  be  impossible 
in  a  single  volume.  In  "  Our  County  and  Its  People"  it  has  been  the 
aim  of  the  writer  and  those  associated  with  him  to  preserve  for  future 
generations  a  record  of  such  occurrences  as  will  tend  to  illustrate  the 
development  of  the  community  along  its  various  lines,  and  to  leave  un- 
written many  of  the  minor  details  in  this  story  of  development  which, 
however  interesting  they  might  prove  to  a  few  individuals  in  each 
locality,  are  not  of  sufficient  importance  to  the  county  at  large  or  even 
to  a  large  portion  of  the  population  of  any  town  or  village. 

It  has  also  been  the  plan  to  carry  the  history  of  the  county  as  a 
whole  down  through  the  various  periods  of  its  existence,  with  simply 
a  gazetteer  of  the  towns — wherein  this  work  differs  from  most  local 
historical  publications. 

The  chapter  dealing  with  the  battles  fought  in  Saratoga  county 
during  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and  the  history  of  the  Saratoga 
monument  and  the  Saratoga  Monument  Association,  have  been  revised 
by  Mrs.  Ellen  Hardin  Walworth  of  Saratoga  Springs,  the  highest  local 
authority  on  Revolutionary  history ;  and  the  chapter  on  the  Bench  and 
Bar  of  Saratoga  county  has  been  revised  by  the  Hon.  John  R.  Putnam 
of  the  New  York  Supreme  Court.  The  invaluable  assistance  rendered 
by  these  distinguished  persons  contributes  to  give  to  this  work  a  stand- 
ing wliich  should  guarantee  for  it  not  only  a  hearty  reception  on  the 
part  of  the  large  number  of  persons  who  have  shown  an  interest  in  its 
compilation,  but  also  should  cause  it  to  be  recognized,  in  these  partic- 
ulars at  least,  as  the  most  valuable  historical  work  which  has  ever 
been  laid  before  the  inhabitants  of  Saratoga  county. 

The  compiler  of  "  Our  County  and   Its  People"  further  desires  to 


iv  PREFACE. 

acknowledge  the  services  of  lanthus  G.  Johnson,  M.  D.,  of  Greenfield 
Centre,  George  R.  Moore  of  Mechanicville,  Major  James  W.  Lester 
and  Captain  Frederick  M.  Waterbury  of  Saratoga  Springs,  Captain 
John  D.  Rogers  of  Round  Lake,  Edward  F.  Grose,  James  L.  Scott, 
David  Frisbie  and  William  Spencer  of  Ballston  Spa,  James  T.  Sweet- 
man,  M.  D.,  of  Charlton,  the  various  town  and  village  clerks,  officers 
of  various  societies,  principals  of  the  leading  schools,  the  pastors  of  the 
churches,  the  editors  of  the  county  newspapers  and  others  who  have 
contributed  to  the  success  of  the  undertaking  by  the  great  volume  of 
information  which  they  have  supplied.  Among  the  references  em- 
ployed in  the  preparation  of  the  work  we  desire  to  give  full  credit  to 
N.  B.  Sylvester's  History  of  Saratoga  County  (1878);  Enos  R.  Mann's 
History  of  the  Bench  and  Bar  of  Saratoga  County  (1876);  O'Callaghan's 
Documentary  Colonial  History  of  New  York;  Reports  of  the  Adjutant- 
General  of  the  State  of  New  York ;  Hon.  George  G.  Scott's  historical 
address  delivered  at  Ballston  Spa  July  4,  1876;  Jeptha  R.  Simms's  Bor- 
der Wars  of  New  York  (1845) ;  William  L.  Stone's  Reminiscences  of 
Saratoga  and  Ballston  (1880);  David  Cusick's  Ancient  History  of  the 
Six  Nations;  French's  Gazetteer  of  New  York;  Centennial  Celebrations 
of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  numerous  other  works.  Material  for 
the  sketches  in  the  biographical  department  has  been  gleaned  by  agents 
of  the  publishers,  and  the  matter  as  prepared  has  been  reviewed  by 
those  persons  best  able  to  guarantee  its  accuracy. 

Doubtless  some  mistakes  will  be  found  in  the  succeeding  pages ;  but 
as  all  statements  of  more  than  ordinary  importance,  and  those  regard- 
ing which  serious  questions  have  arisen,  have  been  referred  to  the  best 
authorities  accessible,  the  volume  is  submitted  in  the  belief  that  it  will 
be  found  to  be,  on  the  whple,  a  trustworthy  record  of  the  origin  and 
development  of  the  county  and  the  doings  of  its  inhabitants. 

George  Baker  Anderson. 

Ballston  Spa,  N.  Y.,  September  1,  1898. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER    I. 


Organization  of  Saratoga  County — Its  Geography  and  Topography  —Its  Rivers, 
Lakes  and  Mountains — Geological  Formation — Original  Patents  Embraced 
Entirelj-  or  Partly  Within  the  Limits  of  the  County — Origin  of  the  Word 
"Saratoga" — Railroads  and  Canals — Organization  of  the  Districts  and 
Towns _ 1-13 


CHAPTER   II. 

The  Indian  Occupancy  of  the  Territory  now  Known  as  Saratoga  County — The 
Great  Iroquois  Confederacy  and  the  Mohawks,  Its  Most  Ferocious  Nation — • 
Their  Wars  Against  Other  Tribes — The  Famous  Hunting  Grounds  of  the 
Mohawks,  Sarah-to-ga  and  Kay-ad-ros-sera — Sale  of  Both  Properties  to  the 
White  Men _ _ 12-20 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  French  and  Indian  Wars — The  Frequent  Incursions  of  the  French  from 
Canada  Into  the  Land  of  the  Mohawks — Saratoga  County  a  Bloody  Battle 
Ground — The  Iroquois  and  English  Ever  on  Friendly  Terms — Fate  of  Father 
Isaac  Jogues — The  Massacre  at  Schenectady — Battles  in  Saratoga  County— 
The  Old  Saratoga  Massacre — The  Final  Struggle— Sir  William  Johnson's 
Campaign — Fort  George,  Fort  William  Henry,  Ticonderoga  and  Crown 
Point ._ __ 30-30 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Settlements  in  Saratoga  County  Prior  to  the  War  of  the  Revolution — The  Ear- 
liest Permanent  Settlement  Made  Along  the  Banks  of  the  Hudson  North  of 
Half  Moon  Point,  and  Across  the  River  from  Schenectady — The  March  of 
Progress  Northward  Along  the  Hudson — Some  of  the  Early  Pioneers.^. ..30-47 


vi  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   V. 

EDITED   BY   MRS.    ELLEN    HARDIN   WALWORTH. 

Events  Leading  up  to  the  Famous  Campaign  of  1777,  Made  by  Gen.  John  Bur- 
goyne — His  Magnificent  Army — General  Schuyler  in  Command  of  the 
Northern  Army — His  Futile  Attempts  to  Get  Reinforcements — Burgoyne 
Takes  Forts  Ticonderoga  and  Independence — Baum's  Expedition  against 
Bennington — Defeated  by  Gen.  John  Stark — British  Failure  at  Fort  Stanwix 
— Schuyler  Superseded  by  Gates — The  Battles  of  Saratoga — Death  of  the 
Valiant  Frazer — Arnold's  Gallant,  though  Unauthorized,  Victory — Bur- 
goyne's  Surrender 47-64 

CHAPTER   VI. 

The  Attack  on  the  Ballston  Settlement  by  Munroe  and  His  Band  of  Tories  and 
Indians — Capture  of  Col.  James  Gordon  and  Others  and  Their  Imprison- 
ment in  Canada — Escape  of  the  Captives  and  Their  Return  to  Their  Homes 
— The  Invasion  Under  the  Command  of  Joseph  Bettys,  the  Notorious  Rene- 
gade— His  Valiant  Services  to  the  American  Government — Piqued  at  Being 
Unrewarded  for  His  Valor,  He  Turns  Spy  in  the  Service  of  the  British — His 
Capture — Tried  and  Executed  as  a  Spy — Major  Mitchell's  Peril — End  of  the 
War _ _ _ -..65-75 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Condition  of  the  Pioneers  at  the  Close  of  the  Revolutionary  War — Many  Homes 
Devastated,  and  Many  Families  Bereft  of  Their  Means  of  Support— Slow 
Progress  of  Civilization  in  the  County  During  the  War — Development  of 
the  Various  Communities  from  the  War  Period  to  the  Close  of  the  Eighteenth 
Century — The  March  of  Civilization  Northward  Along  the  Valley  of  the 
Hudson— Some  of  the  Early  Inhabitants  of  the  Various  Towns,  and  Their 
Share  in  the  Development  and  Prosperity  of  the  County 75-123 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Division  of  the  Districts  Comprised  Within  the  Limits  of  the  County  and 

the  Organization  of  the  Early  Towns— Erection  of  the  County  of  Saratoga 

The  First  Courts— First  County,  State  and  Federal  Officials— Erection  of  the 

First  Court  House— The  Northern  Canal,  Known  as  "Schuyler's  Ditch" 

The  First  Newspaper,  One  Hundred  Years  Ago,  and  the  First  Books  Printed 

in  the  County— Other  Events  Transpiring  Prior  to  the  Year  1800_ 124-130 


CONTENTS.  vii 

CHAPTER  IX. 

FROM  1800  to  1831. 

History  of  the  County  from  the  Beginning  of  the  Nineteenth  Century  to  the  Con- 
struction of  the  First  Steam  Railroad  within  its  Borders — Wonderful  Devel- 
opment of  Saratoga  Springs  and  Ballston  Spa — Gideon  Putnam  and  His 
Beneficent  Labors — Early  Hotels  at  the  Springs — Some  of  the  More  Impor- 
tant Manufactures — Water  Power  of  the  Kayaderosseras — Churches  Estab- 
lished in  the  County  During  this  Period — History  of  the  Erie  and  Champlain 
Canals — Semi-Centennial  Celebrations  of  1826 — County  Medical  Society  and 
County  Bible  Societ}' — Men  who  Served  as  Officers  in  the  Early  Militia.. 131-175 

CHAPTER  X. 

Construction  of  the  Railroad  from  Schenectady  to  Saratoga  Springs,  the  First  in 
Saratoga  County — The  Rensselaer  and  Saratoga  Road  Built  Soon  After — 
Rivalry  Between  the  Two  Concerns— Other  Roads  Merged  in  the  Rensselaer 
and  Saratoga — All  Pass  Under  the  Control  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson 
Canal  Company — The  Old  Albany,  Vermont  and  Canada — The  Adirondack 
— The  Fitchburg  and  the  Mount  McGregor  Lines— Projected  Lines  Which 
Were  Never  Constructed — Modern  Electric  Railways  in  Saratoga  County.  176-184 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Second  Period  of  the  Century,  1831  to  the  War  of  the  Rebellion — Days  of  Great 
Prosperity  of  Saratoga  Springs — Reconstruction  of  the  Early  Hotels  and 
the  Building  of  Many  Handsome  New  Ones — Dr.  Clark's  Waterworks  Sys- 
tem— Banks,  Churches  and  Schools — Foundation  of  Temple  Grove  Seminary 
— Societies  Organized — The  Numerous  and  Important  Manufactures  of 
Ballston  Spa  Established  During  this  Period — The  Ballston  Spa  National 
Bank — Religious  and  Secret  Societies — Academies,  Schools  and  Churches 
Throughout  the  County — The  Development  of  the  Water  Power  of  the  Hud- 
son and  the  Kayaderosseras 184-216 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Participation  of  Saratoga  County  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion— The  Seventy- 
Seventh  and  Thirtieth  Regiments  of  Infantry  and  Their  Career  During  the 
War— Morgan  H.  Chrysler's  Second  Veteran  Cavalry— The  One  Hundred 
and  Fifteenth — Other  Regiments  in  which  Inhabitants  of  the  County  Fought 
— Officers  of  the  Seventy-Seventy  and  Thirtieth,  with  Promotions.  Dis- 
charges, Resignations  and  Deaths — Names  of  the  Men  from  Saratoga  County 
Who  Fought  in  the  War,  and  the  Towns  Which  Furnished  Them 216-273 


viii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  Latter  Years  of  the  County's  History,  and  the  Causes  of  Its  Prosperity  Since 
the  Days  of  the  Civil  War— The  Development  of  the  Older  Industries  and 
the  Establishment  of  New  Ones — The  Manufacturing  Centres — New  Churches 
— Growth  of  the  Educational  System — Newspapers,  Past  and  Present — Fi- 
nancial Institutions — Some  of  the  Leading  Public  Institutions — Clubs,  So- 
cieties, etc., — Centennial  Celebrations  of  1876  and  1877— Anniversaries  of 
the  Battle  of  Bemis  Heights  and  the  Surrender  of  General  Burgoyne — The 
Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Monument  at  Ballston  Spa — Death  of  General  U.  S. 
Grant— Other  Happenings  of  Interest - 272-312 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  War  with  Spain,  and  the  Participation  of  Saratoga  County  Therein — En- 
listment of  the  Twenty-second  Separate  Co.  of  Saratoga  Springs — Assigned  to 
the  Second  New  York  Provisional  Regiment — Its  Gradual  Movement  to 
Hempstead  Plains,  L.  I.,  Thence  to  Chickamauga  Park  and  Tampa,  Fla. — 
Promotions  in  the  Regiment — Those  Who  Volunteered — Others  from  This 
County  Who  Volunteered  in  Other  Commands — Relief  Measures — The  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty-second  Separate  Company - 313-329 

CHAPTER  XV. 
GAZETTEER  OF  TOWNS --._ 329-890 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  Discovery  and  Development  of  the  Celebrated  Mineral  Springs  of  Saratoga 
County — High  Rock,  "  the  Medicine  Spring  of  the  Great  Spirit,"  First  Seen 
by  a  French  Officer — Sir  William  Johnson's  Visit  —  George  Washington, 
Philip  Schuyler  and  Joseph  Bonaparte  Also  Early  Visitors — Analysis  of  the 
Principal  Springs  of  Saratoga— Discovery  of  the  First  Spring  at  Ballston  Spa 
in  1711 — Development  of  the  Resort— Saratoga  Gains  the  Lead  as  a  Resort 
and  Holds  it— Analysis  of  the  Ballston  Springs 390-410 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

REVISED  BY  HON.  JOHN  R.  PUTNAM. 

History  of  the  Bench  and  Bar  of  Saratoga  County— The  Early  Courts  of  the 
County  and  the  Changes  in  Them  Wrought  by  the  Revised  Constitutions- 
First  Sessions  of  the  Original  Courts— Building  of  the  First  Court  House  at 
Court  House  Hill— Destroyed  by  Fire— The  First  Court  House  at  Ballston 
Spa— The  Modern  Structure— Leading  Lawyers  of  the  Early  Days  of  the 
Century— Men  in  the  Profession  Who  Have  Become  Eminent 410-440 


CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER  XVIII. 
THE  MEDICAL  PROFESSION 


IX 


.440-455 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
CIVIL  LIST  AND  STATISTICS 


_ 455-478 


PART  II. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


Ainsworth,  Seymour _,515 

Anderson,  John  K. ,  Dr .565 

Anthony,  Joshua _ 579 

Barbour,  Oliver  L _533 

Batcheller  Family,  The 550 

Beach,  William  A 518 

Bellinger,  Peter  Dr 579 

Bockes,  Augustus 513 

Brackett,  Eclgar  T _. 498 

Brady,  Edward  M.,  Rev 576 

Brennan,  Joseph  F 572 

Bullard,  Daniel  A.. _ 522 

Bullard,  Daniel  A.,  2d 525 

Bullard,  Edward  C 524 

Burke,  John  H..___ 544 

Cady,  Clifford  E 568 

Carey,  Joseph,  Rev 566 

Closson,  C.  S 564 

Comstock,  George  F.,  Dr 516 

Cook,  Ransom 541 

Cowen,  Esek ._ 507 

Cramer,  John ___ 538 

Crane,  John  W 569 

Curtis,  Warren. _ 575 

Davidson,  Lucretia  and  Margaret... 558 

Davison,  Charles  Mason. 532 

Davison,  Gideon  M. 547 

Delaney,  William  J 538 

De  Ridder,  John  Henry 537 

Deuell.  Edwar(3  Valencourt,  Dr. 511 

Earley,  James 570 

Ellsworth,  Ephraim  E.,  Col 240 

Farrow,  Edwin 581 

Finley,  Thomas 582 

French,  Winsor  Brown .493 

Gage,  William  B ...518 


Hamilton,  Theodore  Frank 511 

Hanson,  William  Hendricks 527 

Hay,  William. 526 

Horton,  James  W.. 570 

Houghton,  James  W - 514 

Howe,  John  W 539 

Hill,  Nicholas 505 

Jenkins,  Benjamin  R 584 

L'Araoreaux,  Jesse  S 574 

Lester,  Charles  Cooke 563 

Lester,  Charles  Smith . 561 

McCarty,  R.  H.,  Dr... 546 

McDonough,  Bernard  J.,  Rev. 535 

McKean,  'James  B. 531 

McKittrick,  William  Henry,  Capt,,  ..534 

McNair,  A.  R 554 

McNair,  Frederick  P.,  Lieut 555 

McNulty,  William  Douglass 577 

Martin,  William  M. .552 

Marvin,  James  M .504 

Marvin,  Thomas  J 502 

Masten,  Jeremiah 583 

Murray,  Byron  J.,  Dr 542 

Newell.    Hiram .530 

Perry,  John  L.,  Dr... .519 

Porter,  John  K 505 

Porter,  Joshua,  Dr 553 

Putnam,  John  R 420 

Redmond,  William  J 535 

Sackett,   William  A 499 

Schuyler,  Harmanus 545 

Scott,  James  Lee 508 

Sherman,  Rav  S 582 

Snyder,  Michael  P 558 

Steel,  John  H.,  Dr 549 

Strang,  Edward  H 550 


CONTENTS. 


Sutfin,  Ransom 559 

Taylor.  John  W... 517 

Thompson  Family,  The -..481 

Todd,   Edward  R 578 

Tompkins,   Hiram 506 

Turpit,  George   F 578 

Varney,  Miles  Egbert,  Dr 571 

Walton,  Henry -531 

Walworth,  Reuben   Hyde 490 


Warren,  William  L.   F - 545 

Wayland,   Francis,   Rev - 547 

West,  George - 538 

Wiggins,  Peter  V 550 

Willard,   John 531 

Willcox,  Albert  O - 548 

Worden,  William  W 560 

Young,  Jesse 584 

Young,  Samuel,  Col 509 


PART  III. 

PERSONAL  REFERENCES 1-176 

INDEXES: 

GENERAL ._ - 177-198 

BIOGRAPHICAL _._- - __198 

PERSONAL  REFERENCES __ 199-203 

PORTRAITS .-- 203 


PORTRAITS. 


Anthony,  Joshua racing  579 

Bellinger,  Peter,  Dr facing  341 

Brackett,  Edgar  T. ; facing  436 

Brady,  Edward  M.,  Rev facing  576 

Brennan,  Joseph  P.  ._ .facing  572 

BuUard,  Daniel  A facing  532 

Bullard,  Daniel  A.,  2d facing  525 

Bullard,  Edward  C facing  524 

Burke,  John  H facing  544 

Cady,  Clifford  E facing  881 

Gary,  Joseph,  Rev facing  137 

Closson,  C.  S __ facing  564 

Comstock,  George  F.,  Dr facing  449 

Curtis,  Warren facing  368 

Davison,  Charles  Mason facing' 532 

Delaney,  William  J facing  538 

De  Ridder,  John  Henry .facing  290 

Deuell,  Edward  V. ,  Dr facing  448 

Earley,  James facing  570 


Farrow,  Edwin facing  581 

Finley,  Thomas. facing  582 

French,  Winsor  Brown facing  438 

Gage,  William  B facing  518 

Hamilton,  Theodore  Frank,.. facing  437 
Hanson,  William  Hendricks.. facing  537 

Houghton,  James  W facing  439 

Howe,  John  W facing  388 

Jenkins,  Benjamin  R facing  376 

L'Amoreaux,  Jesse  S facing  574 

Lester,  Charles  Cooke facing  396 

Lester,  Charles  Smith facing  433 

McCarty,  R.  H.,  Dr facing  546 

McDonough,  Bernard  J.,  Rev.  facing  197 
McKittrick,  William  H.,  Capt.  facing  337 
McNair,  Frederick  P.,  Lieut,  .facing  555 
McNulty,  William  Douglass  .  .facing  577 

,Martin,  William  M facing  553 

Marvin,  James  M facing  504 


CONTENTS. 


Marvin,  Thomas  J facing  428 

Hasten,  Jeremiah facing  583 

Murray,  Byron  J. ,  Dr facing  451 

Newell,  Hiram... facing  530 

Perry.  John  L. .  Dr facing  519 

Putnam,  John  R facing  431 

Sackett,  William  A facing  499 

Scott,  James  Lee facing  508 

Sherrpan,  Ray  S facing  366 

Snyder,  Michael  P. facing  558 

Strang,  Edward  H facing  355 

Sutfin,  Ransom facing  348 


Thompson,  James 487 

Thompson,  John  W facing    36 

Todd,  Edward  R facing  578 

Tompkins,  Hiram facing  5U6 

Turpit,  George  F facing  360 

Varney,  Miles  Egbert,  Dr.  ...facing  450 

Walworth,  Reuben  Hyde facing  417 

West,  George facing  373 

Willcox,  Alberto facing  548 

Worden,  William  W facing  560 

Young,  Jesse .' facing  584 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


CHAPTER  I. 


Organization  of  Saratoga  County — Its  Geography  and  Topography — Its  Rivers, 
Lakes  and  Mountains — Geological  Formation — Original  Patents  Embraced  Entirely 
or  Partly  Within  the  Limits  of  the  County — Origin  of  the  Word  "Saratoga " — Rail- 
roads and  Canals — Organization  of  the  Districts  and  Towns. 

The  original  ten  counties  of  what  is  now  the  State  of  New  York 
were  created  November  1,  1683,  by  the  English  Colonial  Government 
and  named  New  York,  Kings,  Queens,  Suffolk,  Richmond,  Westchester, 
Orange,  Ulster,  Dutchess  and  Albany.  The  British  Government  con- 
firmed the  act  of  the  Colonial  Government  October  1,  1691.  By  these 
acts  the  county  of  Albany  embraced  "the  manor  of  Rensselaerwyck, 
Schenectady,  and  all  the  villages,  neighborhoods,  and  Christian  planta- 
tions on  the  east  side  of  Hudson's  River,  from  Roeloffe  Jansen's  Creek ; 
and  on  the  west  side,  from  Sawyer's  Creek  to  the  outermost  end  of 
Saraghtoga." '  Tryon  and  Charlotte  counties  were  taken  from  Albany 
county  in  1772,  Columbia  in  1786,  Rensselaer  and  Saratoga  in  1791,  a 
part  of  Schoharie  in  1795,  a  part  of  Greene  in  1800  and  Schenectady  in 
1809.  The  date  of  the  legal  formation  of  Saratoga  county  was  Febru- 
ary 7,  1791. 

Saratoga  county  lies  in  the  north  angle  formed  by  the  junction  of  the 
Mohawk  and  Hudson  rivers.  It  is  centrally  distant  thirty-one  miles 
from  Albany,  and  has  an  area  of  eight  hundred  and  sixty-two  square 
miles.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Warren  county,  on  the  east  by 
Washington  and  Rensselaer,  on  the  south  by  Albany  and  Schenectady 
and  on  the  west  by  Montgomery,  Fulton  and  Hamilton.  Until  about 
a  score  of  years  ago  it  was  essentially  an  agricultural  county;  but  dur- 

'  The  manor  of  Livingston  was  annexed  to  Dutchess  county  May  37,  1717,  and  by  subsequent 
statutes  the  county  of  Albany  was  also  made  to  comprise  everything  within  the  colony  of  New 
York  north  and  west  of  the  presetlt  limits  of  the  county,  and  at  one  time  the  whole  of  Vermont. 


3  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ing  the  last  two  decades  of  the  nineteenth  century,  the  development  of 
a  considerable  number  and  variety  of  manufactures  within  its  borders, 
principally  in  its  most  populous  villages,  has  placed  it  in  the  rank  of 
leading  manufacturing  as  well  as  agricultural  counties  of  the  Empire 
State. 

The  topography  of  Saratoga  county  is  easily  described.  In  the  south 
its  surface  is  for  the  most  part  gently  undulating,  though  compara- 
tively level  along  the  Hudson  valley  and  in  other  places.  The  northern 
half  of  the  county  is  very  hilly  and  mountainous.  Two  ranges  of 
mountains,  from  eight  hundred  to  one  thousand  feet  high,  traverse  the 
county  from  northeast  to  southwest. 

The  eastern  and  southern  range  is  known  as  the  Palmerton  moun- 
tains.' This  range  enters  Saratoga  county  from  Warren  county,  and 
extends  through  the  western  parts  of  the  towns  of  Moreau  and  Wilton, 
and  the  eastern  part  of  Corinth  into  GreenfieH,  where  it  terminates 
in  a  series  of  low,  irregular  hills  sloping  toward  the  south.  This  range 
extends  into  Saratoga  Springs  and  terminates  at  the  Congress  Springs. 
Broadway  ascends  the  slope  of  the  southernmost  hill  in  the  chain,  and 
Judge  Hilton's  park  includes  its  summit.  On  the  northern  border  of 
the  county  the  Hudson  river — at  that  point  a  narrow,  rapidly  flowing 
and  most  picturesque  stream — forces  its  way  through  this  range  in  a 
deep  ravine  three  miles  in  extent.  From  the  river's  banks  the  rugged 
mountains  rise  precipitously  to  a  height  of  eight  hundred  feet.-  As  a 
rule  the  elevations  of  this  range  have  steep  and  rocky  sides,  with  broad, 
rough  uplands  covered  with  forests.  In  late  years,  however,  much  of 
the  forest  land  has  been  denuded. 

The  northern  range  extends  through  the  towns  of  Corinth,  Edin- 
burgh, Day  and  Hadley,  and  is  known  as  the  Kayaderosseras  range. 
As  a  rule  the  declivities  of  these  mountains  are  precipitous,  and  their 
summits  spread  out  into  broad,  rocky  uplands  broken  by  ledges  and 
craggy  peaks.  The  Kayaderosseras  range  extends  also  through  the 
towns  of  Providence,  Galway  and  Charlton  to  the  Mohawk,  where  it 
confronts  the  northern  slopes  of  the  Helderbergs  that  rise  on  the  other 
side  of  the  valley. 

Through  the  western  part  of  Stillwater  and  Saratoga  extend  a  group 
of  isolated  hills — the  most  conspicuous  of  which  is  Snake  hill,  a  prom- 
ontory on  the  eastern  shore  of  Saratoga  lake — some  of  which  are  four 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  high,  having  rounded  summits  and  terraced  de- 

'  gometimes  also  callod  ttie  Luzerne  mountains. 


TOPOGRAPHY.  3 

clivities.  Along  the  Hudson  extends  a  broad  intervale,  bordered  by  a 
range  of  clay  bluffs  from  forty  to  two  hundred  feet  in  height.  From 
the  summits  of  these  bluffs  an  extensive  sand  plain  extends  westward 
to  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  covering  the  greater  part  of  the  towns  of 
Moreau,  Wilton,  Northumberland,  Saratoga  Springs  and  a  small  por- 
tion of  Milton  and  Ballston.  The  southwestern  part  of  the  county  is 
rolling  or  moderately  hilly,  well  watered  and,  for  the  most  part,  quite 
fertile. 

The  Hudson  river  flows  for  nearly  seventy  miles  along  the  entire 
eastern  and  northeastern  boundaries  of  the  county.  Falls,  some  ex- 
tremely picturesque,  interrupt  its  course  at  frequent  intervals,  and 
several  dams  and  many  bridges  cross  its  water.  The  High  Falls  are 
situated  just  below  the  great  easterly  bend  of  the  river  in  the  north- 
west part  of  the  town  of  Moreau.  The  water  flows  in  a  series  of  rapids' 
for  three-quarters  of  a  mile  over  a  declining  rocky  bottom,  and  then 
rushes  through  the  narrow  gorge  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  at  the  bottom 
of  which  it  plunges  down  a  nearly  perpendicular  descent  of  sixty  feet. 
The  ledge  of  gneiss  over  which  it  falls  is  convex  in  form,  and  the  water 
is  thereby  broken  in  perfect  sheets  of  snow  white  foam.  A  few  rods 
above  the  last  leap  of  the  water,  and  where  it  rushes  with  the  greatest 
velocity,  the  river  may  be  spanned  by  a  plank  thirteen  feet  in  leaigth. 
At  Glens  Falls,  which  occur  about  three  miles  above  the  great  southerly 
bend  in  the  river,  in  the  northwest  part  of  Moreau,  the  river  falls  over 
a  broad  shelving  rock,  the  total  descent  being  about  fifty  feet..  The 
beauty  of  this  fall  is  greatly  enhanced  by  two  natural  piers  of  black 
limestone  standing  upon  the  edge  of  the  precipice,  which  break  the  fall 
into  three  channels.  These  two  are  the  greatest  falls  in  that  section  of 
the  Hudson  traversing  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  county. 

The  eastern  half  of  the  southern  boundary  of  the  county  runs  through 
the  centre  of  the  Mohawk  river.  The  Sacandaga  river,  the  principal 
outlet  of  the  largest  lakes  in  the  southern  part  of  Hamilton  county, 
winds  its  tortuous  way  sluggishly  through  Edinburgh,  Day  and  Had- 
ley,  emptying  its  waters  into  those  of  the  Hudson  at  Hadley.  The 
stream  is  navigable  for  boats  of  light  draft  from  Northampton,  on  the 
border  of  Fulton  county,  to  Conklingville  Falls  in  Hadley,  a  distance 
of  twenty  miles,  but  in  recent  years  has  seldom  been  navigated.  During 
the  Revolutionary  war  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Edinburgh,  fear- 
ing that  the  British  troops  might  attempt  to  ascend  the  river,  placed  a 
heavy  chain  across  the  river,  but  the  British  never  made  the  anticipated 


4  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

attempt.  Below  the  Conklingville  Falls  the  river  flows  in  a  series  of 
rapids,  between  high,  rocky  hills,  until  it  reaches  the  Hudson.  Kay- 
aderosseras  creek  drains  the  central  part  part  of  the  county,  emptying 
into  Saratoga  lake.  The  water  of  the  lake,  in  turn,  finds  its  way  into 
the  Hudson  through  Fish  creek,  which  crosses  the  town  of  Saratoga. 
The  Mourning  Kill  rises  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  county,  and 
running  easterly  empties  into  the  Kayaderosseras  a  short  distance  be- 
low Ballston.  Eel-Place  creek,  or  Aal  Plass  Kill,  rises  near  the  head- 
waters of  Anthony's  Kill,  west  of  Ballston  lake,  and  runs  southerly 
into  the  Mohawk  a  few  miles  below  Schenectady.  Gordon  creek,  Shen- 
andahorah  creek,  Anthony's  Kill,  Snook  Kill  and  Glowegee  creek  are 
the  other  principal  streams. 

There  are  several  lakes  and  large  ponds  in  the  county.  Some  of  the 
former  are  beautiful  sheets  of  clear  water,  on  whose  shores  are  located 
popular  summer  resorts.  Among  these  are  Saratoga  lake.  Round  lake 
and  Ballston  lake.  Saratoga  lake  is  located  in  the  towns  of  Saratoga 
Springs,  Saratoga,  Stillwater  and  Malta.  It  is  six  and  a  half  miles 
long  and  two  miles  broad.  Round  lake  is  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
town  of  Malta,  and  is  about  three  miles  in  circumference.  Ballston 
lake  lies  principally  in  the-  town  of  Ballston,  the  southern  extremity 
extending  into  Clifton  Park.  It  is  three  and  a  half  miles  long,  with  an 
average  width  of  nearly  half  a  mile.  Livingston  lake.  Sand  lake  and 
Mud  lake  are  in  Day.  Lake  Desolation  lies  on  the  boundary  between 
Providence  and  Greenfield.  Efnor,  Jenny,  Hunt  and  Black  lakes  are 
in  Corinth.  The  lakes  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county  are  surrounded 
by  a  wooded  wilderness  and  are  but  little  known. 

Both  mountain  ranges  consist  principally  of  primary  rocks.  A  stratum 
of  crystalline  limestone  extends  along  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  and 
below  this  is  Potsdam  sandstone  in  large  quantities.  Iron  ore  has  been 
obtained  in  these  formations,  but  not  in  paying  quantities.  Among 
the  other  minerals  found  in  this  section  are  agate,  chalcedony,  chrys- 
oberyl,  garnet,  tourmalin,  phosphate  of  lime,  graphite,  iron  pyrites  and 
tufa.  In  1897  and  1898  gold  was  discovered  in  several  places  in  the 
towns  of  Greenfield  and  Saratoga  Springs,  and  expert  geologists  and 
mineralogists  express  the  conviction  that  it  can  be  produced  in  paying 
quantities. 

In  the  southern  half  of  the  county  the  rocks  belong  to  the  shales  and 
slates  of  the  Hudson  River  group.  Below  these  have  been  found  im- 
mense quantities  of  mineral  waters,  which,  by  reason  of  their  medicinal 


GEOLOGY.  5 

properties,  have  become  famous  the  world  over.  These  springs  are 
described  at  length  in  succeeding  pages.  Drift  deposits,  consisting  of 
sand  and  clay,  cover  a  large  part  of  the  county.  Among  the  mountains 
the  soil  is  a  light,  sandy  or  gravelly  loam,  adapted  to  little  else  than 
grazing.  On  the  intervales  along  the  rivers  it  is  a  deep,  clayey  loam 
and  alluvium,  for  the  most  part  very  productive.  In  the  southwestern 
part  of  the  county  it  is  a  heavy,  clayey  loam.  The  greater  part  of  the 
two  eastern  tiers  of  towns  consists  of  light  sand. 

No  deposited  rocky  beds  are  to  be  found  in  the  county  higher  than 
the  Hudson  River  group  of  slates  and  shales,  the  fossils  of  which  rise 
no  higher  than  the  Lower  Silurian  age.  Consequently  it  will  be  seen 
that,  from  a  geological  standpoint,  the  county  is  very  old.  The  great 
Canadian  Laurentian  mountain  system  is  well  developed  in  Northern 
New  York  and  stretches  its  rugged  outlines  well  down  into  Saratoga 
count)'.  This  system  constitutes  the  oldest  known  strata  of  the  earth's 
crust.  The  Laurentian  rocks  are  mostly  of  the  metamorphic  series, 
related  to  granite,  gneiss,  syenite,  etc.  Underlying  the  northwestern 
part  of  the  village  of  Saratoga  Springs  is  found  the  grayish  rock  known 
as  the  calciferous  sandrock,  which  rests  above  the  Potsdam  sandstone. 
The  southeastern  part  of  the  county  is  covered  by  the  strata  of  slates 
and  shales  of  the  Hudson  River  group.  Betwfeen  these  and  the  Lau- 
rentian rocks  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county  lie  narrow  strips  of 
the  Potsdam  and  calciferous  sandstones  and  Trenton  limestones.  In 
the  central  and  western  part  of  the  cou'nty  the  Drift  period  is  also  well 
represented.  The  sands  and  the  clayhills  of  the  river  valley  represent 
the  Chainplain  and  Terrace  epochs.  Geologists  believe,  and  apparently 
prove,  that  the  long  narrow  bed  of  Saratoga  sands,  running  across  the 
county  from  northeast  to  southwest,  was  the  sand  of  the  ocean's  beach 
in  the  Post  Tertiary  period,  when  the  salt  waters  of  the  ocean  washed 
the  foothills  of  the  Adirondacks  and  covered  the  entire  southern  half -of 
Saratoga  county. 

The  greater  part  of  Saratoga  county  is  embraced  within  the  Half 
Moon,  Kayaderosseras  or  Queensborough,  Clifton  Park  or  Shannondhoi, 
Saratoga  and  Appel  Patents.  The  Kayaderosseras  Patent  is  the  most 
exterisive  within  the  confines  of  the  county.  The  boundaries  were  so 
loosely  defined,  however,  that  disputes  arose  between  the  proprietors 
of  the  Kayaderosseras  on  the  one  hand. and  of  the  Schenectady,  Clifton 
Park  and  Half  Moon  Patents,  and  these  disputes  were  not  settled  for 
more  than  a  century,  or  until  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war. 


6  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Kayaderosseras  Patent  proper  lay  partly  in  Warren  county.  Its  ex- 
tent was  very  great,  but  uncertain.  It  was  granted  under  the  English 
Colonial  Government  November  2,  1708,  to  Nanning  Hermanse,  Rip 
Van  Dam,  Adrian  Hoagland,  John  Tudor,  Peter  Fanconnier,  John 
Latham,  Samuel  Broughton,  Ann  Bridges,  Johannes  Fisher,  Major 
Bickley,  Ixris  (or  Joris)  Hoagland  and  John  Stevens.  Clifton  Park 
Patent,  the  extent  of  which  was  uncertain,  was  granted  September  23, 
1708,  to  Nanning  Hermanse  and  others,  holders  of  the  Shannondhoi ' 
Patent.  Half  Moon  Patent,  the  extent  of  which  was  uncertain,  like 
that  of  the  Kayaderosseras  Patent,  on  account  of  the  long  dispute 
among  the  proprietors  of  the  four  patents  referred  to  in  the  foregoing, 
was  granted  October  13,  1665,  to  Petersen  Philip  Schuyler  and  others. 
Saratoga  Patent,"  the  extent  of  which  was  also  uncertain,  lay  partly  in 
Washington  county,  and  was  granted  November  4,  1684,  to  Peter 
Schuyler  and  others. 

Besides  these  were  Glen's  Purchase,  consisting  of  about  45,000  acres, 
granted  August  14,  1770,  to  John  Glen  and  others;  Hansen's"  Patent 
of  2,000  acres,  granted  July  17,  1713,  to  Hendrick  Hansen  and  others; 
Livingston's  Patent  of  4,000  acres,  lying  partly  in  Fulton  county, 
granted  November  8,  1760,  to  Philip  Livingston  and  others;  Nesti- 
gione '  Patent,  extent 'uncertain,  granted  April  22,  1708,  to  John  Rosie 
and  others;  Sawyer's  Patent,  extent  unknown,  lying  partly  in  Wash- 
ington county,  granted  October  29,  1708,  to  Isaac  Sawyer;  and  Van 
Rensselaer  Patent,  28, 964  acres,  lying  partly  in  Fulton  county,  granted 
October  4,  1774,  to  Jeremiah  Van  Rensselaer;  Van  Schaick  Patent, 
granted  May  31,  1687,  to  Anthony  Van  Schaick;  Palmer's  Purchase, 
lying  principally  in  Warren  and  Washington  counties;  Dartmouth  Pat- 
ent, partly  in  Warren  county,  granted  October  4,  1774,  to  Jeremiah 
Van  Rensselaer;  and  Northampton  Patent,  partly  in  Fulton  county, 
six  thousand  acres,  granted  in  October,  1741,  to  Jacob  Mase  and  others. 

The  warrant  for  the  Saratoga  Patent  read  as  follows: 

Warrant  for  Saratoga  Patent. 

By  His  Excellency,  Edward,  Viscount  Cornbury,  Captain-General  and  Gover- 
nor-in-Chief  of  the  Provinces  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey,  and  Territories 
depending  on  them  in  America,  and  Vice-Admiral  of  the  same,  etc.,  in  coun- 
cil this  2£th  day  of  October,  i-jo8. 

1  The  modern  name  is  written  Shenondehowa;  also  Shenendahora. 

2  The  Colonial  records  give  the  name  usually  as  Saraghtoga. 
s  Sometimes  also  written  Hanson.  *  Niskayuna. 


SARATOGA  PATENT.  7 

To  Major  Bickley,  Esq.,  Attorney-General  of  the  Province  of  New  York: 

You  are  hereby  required  and  directed  to  prepare  a  draft  of  a  patent  of  confirma- 
tion for  Colonel  Peter  Schuyler,  Robert  Livingston,  Esq.,  Dirck  Wessels,  Esq.,  Jan 
Jan  Bleecker,  Esq.,  Johannes  Schuyler,  Esq.,  and  to  Cornelius  Van  Dyck,  deceased, 
for  a  certain  tract  of  land  situate  and  being  to  the  northward  of  the  city  of  Albany, 
on  both  sides  of  the  Hudson  river,  formerly  granted  unto  some  of  them  and  others, 
under  and  from  whom  the  rest  do  at  present  hold  and  enjoy  by  patent  from  Colonel 
Tomas  Dongan,  sometime  Governor- in-Chief  of  the  province  of  New  York,  the 
limits  and  boundaries  of  which  land  are  to  be  ascertained  in  the  manner,  that  is  to 
say:  Beginning  at  the  south  side  of  the  mouth  of  a  certain  creek  on  the  west  side  of 
Hudson's  river,  commonly  called  by  the  Indians  Tionoondehows,  and  by  the  Christ- 
ians Anthony's  Kill,  which  is  the  uppermost  bounds  of  the  land  formerly  purchased 
by  Goosie  Gerritson  and  Philip  Peterson  Schuyler,  and  from  thence  descending 
westerly  into  the  woods  by  the  said  creek,  on  the  south  side  thereof,  as  it  runs  six 
English  miles ;  and  if  the  said  creek  do  not  stretch  so  far  into  the  wood,  then  from 
the  end  thereof  east  by  a  straight  line  until  it  shall  be  six  miles  distant  from  the 
Hudson's  river,  upon  a  measured  straight  line ;  and  from  thence  northerly  by  a  line 
parallel  to  the  course  of  Hudson's  river,  until  it  come  opposite  to  and  bear  east  from 
the  south  side  from  another  creek's  mouth  on  the  east  side  of  Hudson's  river,  called 
Tionoondehows,  which  upon  Hudson's  river  is  computed  to  be  distant  from  the  . 
mout^  of  Tionoondehows  aforesaid  about  twenty-two  English  miles,  be  it  more  Or 
less,  and  from  the  left  termination  by  a  straight  line  to  be  drawn  east  to  the  north 
side  of  the  mouth  of  said  creek,  Tionoondehows ;  and  from  thence  continued  east  six 
miles  into  the  woods  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson's  river,  and  from  thence  by  a 
line  southerly  parallel  to  the  course  of  said  Hudson's  river,  and  six  miles  distant 
from  the  same,  so  far  southerly  until  it  come  opposite  to  and  bear  east  six  miles  dis- 
tant from  the  north  side  of  the  mouth  of  Schardhook  Kill,  which  is  the  boundary  of 
Schardhook  patent,  late  belongmg  to  Henry  Van  Rensselaer,  to  hold  it  thence,  in 
manner  following:  that  is  to  say,  for  so  much  thereof  as  by  the  former  patents  had 
been  divided  for  arable  land  to  Peter  Schuyler,  lot  No.  1,  and  one  half  the  lot.  No.  6, 
to  and  for  the  use  of  the  said  Peter  Schuyler,  and  of  his  heirs  and  assigns  forever,  to 
Robert  Livingston ;  his  lot.  No.  5,  and  one  half  the  lot  No.  5  to  and  for  the  sole  use 
to  Dirck  Wessels;  his  lot,  No.  3,  to  and  for  the  sole  use  to  Jan  Jans  Bleecker;  his 
lot.  No.  2,  to  and  for  the  sole  use  to  Johannes ;  his  lot.  No.  4,  to  and  for  the  sole  use 
also  to  Cornelius  Van  Dyck,  the  grandchild  and  heir  at  law  of  the  said  Cornelius 
Van  Dyck,  deceased ;  the  lot  No.  7  in  trust  nevertheless,  to  and  for  the  use  and  uses 
for  which  the  farm  is  devised  by  the  last  will  and  testament  of  his  grandfather,  de- 
ceased ;  failing  which  use  or  uses,  to  the  use  of  himself,  and  his  heirs  and  assigns 
forever,  and  for  so  much  as  remains  undivided  according  to  the  heir's  use  of,  posi- 
tively, that  is  to  say:  to  Peter  Schuyler  and  Robert  Livingston,  to  each  of  them 
three-fourteenth  parts;  and  to  each  of  the  others  two  fourteenth  parts  of  the  whole 
undivided  land  contained  in  the  said  patent,  the  farm  being  divided  into  fourteen 
equal  parts,  at  and  under  the  yearly  quitrent  of  twenty  biishels  of  winter  wheat ;  and 
for  your  so  doing  this  shall  be  your  sufficient  warrant.  Cornbury. 

Dated  as  above. 

Before  the  Crown  would  issue  a  patent  for  the  lands  included  in  the 


8  OV^  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Patent  of  Kayaderosseras,  at  that  time  spelled  "  Cajaderossary,"  it  re- 
quired the  title  of  the  native  Indian  proprietors  to  be  extinguished  by 
purchase.  Lord  Cornbury  on  the  32d  of  April,  1703,  made  an  order  in 
council  permitting  Sampson  Shelton  Broughton,  Esquire,  and  Company 
to  purchase  the  tract  of  land  in  question  in  order  to  its  cultivation  and 
improvement  and  to  the  granting  of  a  patent  for  the  same  under  the 
great  seal  of  the  Province  of  New  York,  provided  the  purchase  should 
be  made  and  returned  into  the  secretary's  office  and  the  patent  sued 
out  within  the  space  of  one  year  next  ensuing  the  date  thereof.  In  pur- 
suance of  this  permission  the  purchase  was  made  and  a  deed  given  on 
the  6th  day  of  October,  1704.  This  deed  was  executed  by  Joseph, 
Henderk,  Gideon  and  Amos,  owners,  proprietors  and  native  Maquace' 
Indians  and  sachems,  in  behalf  of  themselves  and  of  all  their  nation,  to 
Sampson  Shelton  Broughton,  Esquire,  Attorney  General  of  the  Prov- 
ince of  New  York,  Peter  Fanconnier,  Esquire,  Commissioner  of  the 
Customs,  and  Nanning  Hermance  Visher  of  the  city  of  New  York, 
mariner,  in  company,  in  consideration  of  sixty  pounds  current  money 
of  the  Province,  and  sundry  goods.  The  description  of  the  lands 
granted  by  this  deed  differs  greatly  from  that  contained  in  the  patent 
subsequently  granted,  in  its  language,  but  evidently  comprehends  the 
same  tract.  The  deed  is  signed  by  the  marks  of  the  Indian  sachems 
with  their  totems,  which  are  extremely  difficult  to  identify  as  anything, 
"  in  the  heavens  above  or  the  earth  beneath  or  the  waters  under  the 
earth." 
The  warrant  for  the  Kayaderosseras  Patent  is  as  follows: 

Warrant  for  Kayaderosseras. 

By  His  Excellency,  Edward,   Viscount  Cornbury,  Captain-General  and  Gover- 
nor-in-Chief  of  the  Provinces  of  New  York,  New  Jersey  and  Territories  de- 
pending thereon  in  America,  and  Vice-Admiral  of  the  same,  etc.,  in  council, 
this  33d  day  of  October,  lyoi. 
To  Major  Bickley,  Eiq.,  Attorney-General  of  the  Province  of  New  York: 

You  are  hereby  required  to  prepare  a  draft  of  letters-patent  for  Naning  Har- 
manse,  Johannes  Beekmaa,  Rip  Van  Dam,  Ann  Bridges,  Major  Bickley,  Peter 
Fanconnier,  Adrian  Hoghland,  Johannes  Fisher,  John  Tuder,  [Tudor],  Ixris  Hogh- 
land,  John  Stevens,  and  John  Latham,  for  all  that  tract  of  land  situate,  lying,  and 
being  in  the  county  of  Albany,  called  Kayaderossera,  alias  Queen's  Borough,  begin- 
ning at  a  place  on  Schenectady  River,  about  three  miles  distant  from  the  south- 
westerly corner  of  the  bounds  of  Nestigion's,  the  said  place  being  the  southiyqsterly 
corner  of  the  patent  lately  granted  to  Naning  Harmanse,  Peter  Fanconnier,  and 

'  Mohawk. 


KAYADEROSSERAS  PATENT.  9 

others;  thence  along  the  said  Schenectady  river  westerly  to  the  southeasterly 
corner  of  a  patent  lately  granted  to  William  Apple;  thence  along  the  easterly, 
northerly,  and  westerly  line  of  said  William  Apple's  patent  down  to  the  above  said 
river;  thence  to  the  Schenectady  bounds,  or  the  southeasterly  corner  of  said  patent  on 
said  river,  so  along  the  easterly,  northerly  and  westerly  bounds  thereof  down  to  the 
said  river  again ;  thence  along  the  said  river  up  westerly  to  the  southeasterly  bounds 
of  a  tract  of  land  lately  granted  to  Ebenezer  Willson  and  John  Aboot,  and  so  along 
the  said  patent  round  to  the  southeasterly  corner  thereof  on  said  Schenectady  river; 
thence  continuing  to  run  westerly  up  along  said  Schenectady  river  to  a  place  or  hill 
called  Iweatowando,  being  five  miles  distant,  or  thereabouts,  from  the  said  south- 
westerly corner  of  said  Willson' s  and  Aboot' s  patent;  thence  northerly  to  the  north- 
westmost  h6ad  of  a  creek  called  Kayadarossera,  about  fourteen  miles, — more  or  less ; 
thence  eight  miles  more  northerly ;  thence  easterly  or  northeasterly  to  the  third  falls 
on  Albany  river,  about  twenty  miles, — more  or  less;  thence  along  the  said  river 
down  southerly  to  the  northeasterly  bounds  of  Saratoga;  thence  along  Saratoga's 
northerly,  westerly  and  southerly  bounds  on  said  river ;  thence  to  the  northeasterly 
corner  of  Anthony  Van  Schaick's  land,  on  said  river,  so  northerly  and  westerly  along 
said  Van  Schaick's  patent  to  the  northeast  comer  of  the  above  said  patent  granted 
to  Naning,  Fanconnier  and  others;  thence  along  the  northerly  and  westerly  bounds 
thereof,  down  to  the  above  said  river  of  Schenectady,  being  the  place  where  it  first 
begun.  To  hold  to  the  said  Naning  Harmense,  Johannes  Beekman,  Rip  Van  Dam, 
Ann  Bridges,  Major  Bickley,  Peter  Fanconnier,  Adrian  Hoghland,  Johannes  Fisher, 
John  Tuder,  Joris  Hoghland.  John  Stauen  and  John  Latham,  their  heirs  and  assigns 
forever,  at  and  under  the  yearly  quitrent  of  four  pounds,  .  .  .  and  for  so  doing  this 
shall  be  your  sufficient  warrant. 

By  order  of  his  Excellency  in  council.  Cornbury. 

Saratoga  county  contains  an  area  of  455,577^  acres.  It  has  twenty 
towns,  named  as  follows:  Ballstou,  Charlton,  Clifton  Park,  Corinth, 
Day,  Edinburgh,  Galway,  Greenfield,  Hadley,  Halfmoon,  Malta,  Mil- 
ton, Moreau,  Northumberland,  Providence,  Saratoga,  Saratoga  Springs, 
Stillwater,  Waterford  and  Wilton. 

The  origin  of  the  word  Saratoga  is  uncertain.  The  termination 
"oga,"or  "aga,"  is  said  to  signify  "place."  The  first  part  of  the 
word  has  been  held  by  some  students  of  the  Indian  language  to  imply 
"hillside,"  and  "place  of  salt  springs"  by  others,  "saragh"  in  some 
Indian  dialects  being  the  name  for  salt.  Another  meaning,  not  so  gen- 
erally  accepted,  is  "  swift  water,"  and  is  said  to  have  been  applied  to 
the  rapids  in  the  river,  in  contradistinction  to  the  "  still  water,"  just 
below. 

The  county  seat  is  and  always  has  been  at  or  near  Bajlston  Spa,  in 
the  town  of  Milton.'     The  Champlain  canal  entends  along  the  west 

>  The  first  courthouse  was  located  at  a  place  now  known  as  Courthouse  Hill,  two  miles  west 
of  Ballston  Spa,  in  the  town  of  Milton,    It  was  built  in  1794. 


10  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

side  of  the  Hudson  River  from  Waterford  to  the  southern  border  of 
Northumberland,  where  it  crosses  the  river  into  Washington  county. 
The  Erie  canal  enters  the  county  through  an  aqueduct  at  Rexfords 
Flats  in  the  town  of  Clifton  Park,  running  nearly  parallel  with  the 
Mohawk  river,  recrossing  that  stream  into  Albany  county  at  the  south- 
erly bend  in  the  river  on  the  southern  border  of  Halfmoon.  The  rail- 
roads of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company  pass  through  the 
county  from  Waterford  to  Moreau,  by  way  of  Mechanicville,  Round 
Lake,  Ballston  Spa,  Saratoga  and  Gansevoort,  and  from  a  point  two 
miles  west  of  Rexfords  Flats  to  Ballston  Spa,  there  connecting  with  the 
main  line  above  mentioned.  A  branch  of  the  Fitchburg  railroad  also 
enters  the  county  in  Stillwater,  passing  through  that  town,  Saratoga 
and  Saratoga  Springs,  its  western  terminus  being  in  the  village  of  Sar- 
atoga Springs.  Another  branch  passes  through  Halfmoon  and  Clifton 
Park,  crossing  the  Mohawk  river  in  Schenectady  county.  The  Adiron- 
dack railway  runs  in  a  northerly  direction  from  Saratoga  Springs.  The 
Mount  McGregor  narrow-gauge  railway  runs  northerly  from  the  village 
of  Saratoga  Springs  to  Mount  McGregor,  located  in  the  town  of  Moreau. 
The  Albany,  Vermont  and  Canada  railroad  crossed  the  Mohawk  at  Co- 
hoes,  intersected  the  Rensselaer  and  Saratoga  railroad'  at  Saratoga 
Junction,  and  crossed  the  Hudson  at  Deepikill  into  Rensselaer  county. 
This  railroad  was  abandoned  and  its  rails  removed  many  years  ago. 
There  are  also  several  electric  railroads  in  the  county. 

At  the  time  of  the  first  division  of  Albany  county  and  the  formation 
of  Tryon  (Montgomery)  and  Charlotte  (Washington)  counties,  on  March 
24,  1772,  that  part  of  Albany  county  now  embraced  within  the  con- 
fines of  Saratoga  county  was  divided  into  two  districts  called  respect- 
ively the  district  of  Saraghtoga  and  the  district  of  Half  Moon.  The 
district  of  Half  Moon  embraced  the  territory  included  in  the  present 
towns  of  Halfmoon,  Waterford  and  Clifton  Park.  The  district  of 
Saraghtoga  embraced  the  remainder  of  the  county,  including  all  of  the 
seventeen  towns  excepting  the  three  contained  in  the  district  of  Half 
Moon.  April  1,  1775,  the  district  of  Saraghtoga  was  divided,  part  of 
it  being  named  Ball's  Town.  The  district  of  Ball's  Town  included  the 
present  towns  of  Ballston,  Milton,  Charlton,  Galway,  Providence,  Ed- 
inburgh and  a  part  of  Greenfield.  March  7,  1788,  Ball's  Town,  Half 
Moon,  Saraghtoga  and  Stillwater  were  organized  as  towns   of   Albany 

'  Now  that  part  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company's  system  extending  from  Wa- 
terford to  Saratoga. 


ORGANIZATION  OF  TOWNS.  11 

county,  Saratoga  county  not  yet  having  been  created.  When  the  county 
was  formed  three  years  later  these  towns  still  remained.  The  towns 
in  the  county,  twenty  in  number,  are  as  follows: 

Saratoga  '  was  formed  as  a  town  March  7,  1788.  Easton,  a  town  of 
Washington  county,  was  taken  off  in  1789 ;  a  part  of  Greenfield  in  1793 ; 
Northumberland  in  1798,  a  part  of  Malta  in  1802  and  Saratoga  Springs 
in  1819. 

Halfmoon"  was  formed  as  a  town  March  7,  1788.  Its  name  was 
changed  to  Orange  April  17,  1816,  but  the  original  name  was  restored 
January  16,  1830.  Waterford  was  taken  off  in  1816  and  Clifton  Park 
in  1828. 

Ballston '  was  formed  as  a  town  March  7,  1788.  Charlton,  Galway 
and  Milton  were  taken  off  in  1792,  and  the  line  of  Charlton  was  changed 
March  5,  1795. 

Stillwater '  was  formed  March  7,  1788.  A  part  of  Easton,  in  Wash- 
ington county,  was  taken  off  in  1789,  and  Malta  in  1802. 

Milton  was  formed  from  Ballston  March  7,  1792.  A  part  of  Green- 
field was  taken  off  in  1793. 

Charlton  was  formed  from  Ballston  March  17,  1792. 

Galway  °  was  formed  from  Ballston  March  7,  1792.  Providence  was 
taken  off  in  1796. 

Greenfield  was  formed  from  Saratoga  and  Milton  March  12,  1793. 
A  part  of  Hadley  was  taken  off  in  1801. 

Providence  was  formed  from  Galway  February  5,  1796.  Edinburgh 
was  taken  off  in  1801. 

Northumberland  was  formed  from  Saratoga  March  16,  1798.  A  part 
of   Hadley  was  taken  off  in  1801,  Moreau  in  1805,  and  Wilton  in  1818. 

Edinburgh  was  formed  from  Providence  March  13,  1801,  as  North- 
field.  Its  name  was  changed  April  6,  1808.  A  part  of  Day  was  taken 
off  in  1819. 

Hadley  was  formed  from  Greenfield  and  Northumberland  February 

1  Written  "  Saraghtoga  "  until  about  1793.  Upon  the  old  map  of  the  Kaya(lerosseras  Patent 
this  name  is  spelled  "Seraghtogha,"  which  some  believe  to  be  the  original  Indian  name.  The 
name  was  iirst  applied  to  a  settlement  on  the  Hudson,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  present  village  of 
Schuylerville. 

^  Originally  written  Half  Moon.  The  town  was  named  from  the  crescent  shape  of  the  land 
between  the  Hudson  and  the  Mohawk. 

'  Named  from  Rev.  Eliphalet  Ball,  one  of  the  first  settlers. 

*  Named  from  the  "  still  water  "  in  the  Hudson,  on  the  borders  of  the  town, 

^  Named  from  the  native  place  of  the  first  Scotch  settlers. 


12  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

27,  1801.  Its  boundaries  were  amended  February  28,  1808.  Corinth 
was  taken  off  in  1818,  and  a  part  of  Day  in  1819. 

Malta  was  formed  from  Stillwater  March  3,  1803.  A  part  of  Sara- 
toga was  annexed  March  28,  1805. 

Moreau '  was  taken  from  Northumbesland  March  28,  1805.  A 
part  was  annexed  to  Corinth  in  1848. 

Waterford  '■'  was  formed  from  Halfmoon  April  17,  1816. 

Corinth  was  formed  from  Hadley  April  20,  1818.  A  part  of  Moreau 
was  annexed  January  28,  1848. 

Wilton  was  formed  from  Northumberland  April  20,  1818. 

Saratoga  Springs"  was  formed  from  Saratoga  April  9,  1819. 

Day  was  formed  from  Edinburgh  and  Hadley,  as  Concord,  April  17, 
1819.     Its  name  was  changed  December  3,  1827. 

Clifton  Park  was  formed  from  Halfmoon  March  3,  1828,  as  Clifton. 
Its  name  was  changed  March  31,  1829. 


CHAPTER  II. 


The  Indian  Occupancy  of  the  Territory  now  Known  as  Saratoga  County — The 
Great  Iroquois  Confederacy  and  the  Mohawks,  Its  Most  Ferocious  Nation — Their 
Wars  Against  Other  Tribes — The  Famous  Hunting  Grounds  of  the  Mohawks,  Sa- 
raghto-ga  and  Kay-ad-ros-se  ra — Sale  of  Both  Properties  to  the  White  Men. 

The  territory  embraced  within  the  limits  of  the  county  of  Saratoga 
was  once  the  habitat  of  the  Mohawk  Indians,  the  most  ferocious  of  the 
Iroquois  tribes  known  as  the  Five  Nations  of  New  York.  The  warriors 
of  this  great  Indian  republic — the  most  powerful  confederation  of  In- 
dian tribes  in  America — presented  the  Indian  character  in  its  most  fa- 
vorable aspect.  They  were  brave,  patriotic  and  eloquen-t.  They  lived, 
for  the  most  part,  in  villages  in  which  their  local  laws  were  closely 
observed,  and  they  were  more  favorably  disposed  toward  useful  indus- 

1  Named  from  Marshal  Moreavi,  the  great  French  warrior,  then  a  resident  of  New  Jersey. 

2  The  Indians  called  the  country  around  the  mouth  of  the  Mohawk  "  Nach-te-nack."  This 
town  was  formerly  known  as  Half  Moon  Point,  and  the  semi-circular  tract  between  the  Hudson 
and  the  Mohawk  was  called  Half  Moon.  The  present  name  of  the  town  originated  from  the  fact 
that  at  the  village  of  Waterford  a  ford  crossed  to  Haver  Island,  in  Albany  county. 

'  Named  from  the  mineral  springs  located  in  the  town. 


THE  INDIAN  OCCUPANCY.  13 

try  than  most  Indian  tribes,  tilling  the  soil  with  a  fair  measure  of  suc- 
cess. They  exhibited  great  fidelity  as  friends,  especially  until  their 
peaceful  life  was  interfered  with  by  the  encroachments  of  the  white 
man;  but  on  the  other  hand  they  were  terrible  as  enemies,  pursuing 
their  foes  with  that  relentless  determination  which  made  them  so 
greatly  feared  by  the  white  man  when  the  latter  had  incurred  their 
enmity. 

The  tribes  of  the  Five  Nations — commonly  known  as  the  Iroquois 
Indians — were  named  the  Senecas,  Cayugas,  Onondagas,  Oneidas  and 
Mohawks.'  The  Tuscaroras,  who  inhabited  a  portion  of  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina,  rose  against  the  colonists  in  1711,  and  after  several 
years  of  warfare  were  nearly  destroyed.  The  remainder  subsequently 
joined  the  Iroquois,  forming  the  sixth  nation  of  that  confederacy  and 
amalgamating  with  the  Oneidas  in  Central  New  York.  After  the  ad- 
mission of  the  Tuscaroras  this  confederacy  became  known  as  ^he  Six 
Nations.  They  occupied  all  Central  New  Vork,  from  Lake  Erie  to  the 
Hudson  river,  in  the  order  named,  the  Senecas  on  the  western  borders 
of  the  State  and  the  Mohawks  guarding  the  eastern  limits  of  the  con- 
federacy. The  Iroquois  called  themselves  the  Ho-de-no-sau-nee,"  and 
their  magnificent  hunting  ground  they  called  Hode-nosau-nee-ga. 
This  hunting  ground,  which  they  steadfastly  defended  from  all  intrud- 
ers, embraced  practically  all  of  what  is  now  New  York  State  excepting 
the  territory  east  of  the  Hudson  river  and  a  small  section  of  the  State 
along  the  southern  boundary.  This  republic  was  divided  among  the 
several  nations  by  well-defined  boundary  lines.  The  Mohawks  and 
Oneidas  jointly  owned  nearly  all  the  territory  of  Northern  New  York, 
the  eastern  half  of  this  section  being  the  domain  of  the  Mohawks.  The 
boundary  line  between  their  properties  began  on  the  St.  Lawrence 
river  at  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Waddington,  ran  south  along 
the  line  between  Lewis  and  Herkimer  counties  and  crossed  the  Mohawk 
river  at  the  site  of  Utica.  The  land  east  of  the  line,  controlled  by  the 
Mohawks,  was  called  by  them  Ga-ne-a  gao-no-ga.  The  northern  part 
of  the  great  wooded  mountains  was  claimed  not  only  by  the  Mohawks 

1  The  word  "Mohawk"  is  derived  from  the  Algonquin  "  Maqua,"  meaning  "  bears."  The 
Hurons  called  them  Agniehronnin.  They  were  the  first  tribe  oE  that  region  to  obtain  firearms. 
Their  frontier  position  made  them  so  conspicuous  that  their  name  was  often  used  by  the  English 
and  the  New  England  tribes  for  the  whole  Iroquois  Confederacy.  Their  Indian  name  "Ga-ne- 
a-ga-o-no,"  translated  means,  "  People  possessors  of  the  flint." 

^  Translated  means;  "  People  of  the  long  house; "  "  long  house  "  being  intended  to  describe 
the  home  of  the  Five  Nations.  They  sometimes  called  themselves  the  Agannschioni,  meaning 
"  United  People,"  and  also  by  a  name  meaning  "  real  men." 


14  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  Oneidas,  but  also  by  the  Adirondacks,  a  Canadian  nation  belonging 
to  the  Algonquins,  and  many  fierce  battles  for  supremacy  occurred 
among  the  mountains  by  succeeding  generations  of  the  savages.  This 
region  was  "the  dark  and  bloody  ground  "  of  the  ancient  Indian  tradi- 
tions. 

In  the  reign  of  Atotarho  XII,  one  of  the  kings  of  the  Five  Nations, 
perhaps  about  fifty  years  before  the  discovery  of  America  by  Columbus, 
we  are  told  by  an  authority  on  Indian  history,'  the  Tehatirihokea,  or 
Mohawks,  were  at  war  with  Ranatshaganha,  "supposed  Mohegans, 
who  occupied  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river  Skannataly,  or  Hudson. 
The  warfare  was  maintained  by  small  expeditions;  the  Mohawks  would 
cross  the  river  and  attack  the  enemy ;  the  canoes  were  kept  in  the  river 
continually  to  cover  their  retreat;  but  after  a  while  the  Mohegans  ex- 
poliated  the  war ;  the  chief  of  the  Mohawks  received  orders  from  the 
king,  and  invited  the  two  confederate  nations,  the  Oneidas  and  the  On- 
ondagas,  to  unite  against  the  common  enemy;  the  band  of  the  com- 
bined forces  immediately  crossed  the  river  and  ravaged  a  part  of  the 
country,  and  the  enemy  were  compelled  to  sue  for  peace." 

It  is  not  positively  known  where  this  great  Indian  Confederacy  was 
established.  In  David  Cusick's  history  of  the  Six  Nations  he  relates 
the  Indian  traditions  relative  to  the  origin  of  the  Confederacy,  which 
was  called  "  a  Long  House,  the  Wars,  Fierce  Animals,"  etc.     He  says: 

By  some  inducement  a  body  of  people  was  concealed  in  the  mountain  at  the  falls 
named  Kuskehsawkich  (now  Oswego).  When  the  people  were  released  from  the 
mountain  they  were  visited  by  Tarenya wagon,  i.  e. ,  the  Holder  of  the  Heavens, 
who  had  power  to  change  hipiself  into  various  shapes ;  he  ordered  the  people  to  pro- 
ceed toward  the  sunrise  as  he  guided  them  and  come  to  a  river  and  named  Yenon- 
anatche,  i.  e. ,  going  round  a  mountain  (now  Mohawk),  and  went  down  the  bank  of 
the  river  and  come  to  where  it  discharges  into  a  great  river  running  towards  the  mid-r, 
day  sun;  and  Shaw-nay-taw-ty,  i.  e.,  beyond  the  pineries  (now  Hudson),  and  went 
down  the  bank  of  the  river  and  touched  bank  of  a  great  water.  .  .  .  The  peo- 
ple were  yet  in  one  language ;  some  of  the  people  went  to  the  banks  of  the  great 
water  towards  the  midday  sun,  but  the  main  company  returned  as  they  came,  on  the 
bank  of  the  river,  under  the  direction  of  the  Holder  of  the  Heavens.  Of  this  com- 
pany there  was  a  particular  body  which  called  themselves  one  household ;  of  these 
were  six  families,  and  they  entered  into  a  resolution  to  preserve  the  chain  of  alliance 
which  should  not  be  extinguished  in  any  manner.  The  company  advanced  some 
distance  up  the  river  of  Shaw-nay-taw-ty  (Hudson),  the  Holder  of  the  Heavens  di- 
rects the  first  family  to  make  their  residence  near  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  the  fam- 
ily was  named  Te-haw-re-ho-geh,  i.  e. ,  a  speech  divided  (now  Mohawk)  and  their 

'  David  Cusick's  "  Sketches  of  Ancient  History  o£  the  Six  Nations." 


THE  INDIAN  OCCUPANCY.  15 

language  was  soon  altered ;  the  company  then  turned  and  went  towards  the  sunset- 
ting,  and  traveled  about  two  days  and  a  half,  and  come  to  a  creek  which  was  named 
Kaw-na-taw  te  ruh,  i.  e.,  Pineries.  The  second  family  was  directed  to  make  their 
residence  near  the  creek,  and  the  family  was  named  Ne-haw-re-tah-go,  i.  e.,  Big 
Tree,  now  Oneidas,  and  likewise  their  language  was  altered.  The  company  con- 
tinued to  proceed  toward  the  sunsetting ;  under  the  direction  of  the  Holder  of  the 
Heavens.  The  third  family  was  directed  to  make  their  residence  on  a  mountain 
named  Onondaga  (now  Onondaga)  and  the  family  was  named  Seuh-non-kah-tah, 
i.  e. ,  carrying  the  name,  and  their  language  was  altered.  The  company  continued 
their  journey  towards  the  sunsetting.  The  fourth  family  was  directed  to  make 
their  residence  near  a  long  lake  named  Go-yo-goh,  i.  e.,  a  mountain  rising  from  the 
water  (now  Cayuga)  and  the  family  was  named  Sho-nea-na-we-to-wah,  i.  e.,  a  great 
pipe,  their  language  was  altered.  The  company  continued  to  proceed  towards  the 
sunsetting.  The  fifth  family  was  directed  to  make  their  residence  near  a  high  moun- 
tain, or  rather  nole,  situated  south  of  the  Canandaigua  lake,  which  was  named  Jen- 
neatowake,  and  the  family  was  named  Te-how-nea-nyo-hent,  i.  e..  Passing  a  Door, 
now  Seneca,  and  their  language  was  altered.  The  sixth  family  went  with  the  com- 
pany that  journeyed  toward  the  sunsetting,  and  touched  the  bank  of  a  great  lake, 
and  named  Kau-ha-gwa-rah-ka.  i.  e.,  A  Cap,  now  Erie,  and  they  went  towards  be- 
tween the  midday  and  sunsetting,  and  travelled  considerable  distance  and  came  to 
a  large  river  which  was  named  Ouau-we-go-ka,  i.  e.,  a  principal  stream,  now  Missis- 
sippi. .  .  .  The  family  was  directed  to  make  their  residence  near  Cau-ta  noh, 
i.  e.,  Pine  in  Water,  situated  near  the  mouth  of  Nuse  river,  now  in  North  Carolina, 
and  the  family  was  named  Kau-ta-hoh,  now  Tuscarora  and  their  language  was  also 
altered.  .  .  .  The  Holder  of  the  Heavens  returns  to  the  five  families  and  forms 
the  mode  of  confederacy  which  was  named  Ggo-nea-seab-neh,  i.  e.,  A  Long  House, 
to  which  are,  1st — Tea-taw-reh-ho-geh ;  2d — New-haw-teh-tah-go;  3d — Seuh-nau-ka- 
ta;  4th — Sho-ne'a-na-we-to-wan;  5th — Te-hoo-nea-nyo-hent. 

Other  authorities  state  that  each  nation  was  divided  into  eight  clans 
or  tribes,  natned  respectively:  Wolf,  Deer,  Bear,  Snipe,  Beaver,  Heron, 
Turtle  and  Hawk.  One  of  their  rules  was  that  no  two  of  the  same  clan 
could  intermarry.  Each  sachem  had  a  permanent  name — the  name  of 
the  office  he  held — and  it  descended  to  his  successor.  There  were  two 
sachemships,  however,  which  forever  remained  vacant  after  the  death 
of  the  original  incumbents  of  the  office.  These  were  Daganoweda  of 
the  Onondagas,  and  Hiawatha  of  the  Mohawks.'  The  first  was  the 
founder  of  the  league  and  the  second  was  his  principal  assistant.  In 
honor  of  the  great  services,  their  sachemships  were  forever  held 
vacant. 

Their  organization  is  supposed  to  have  taken  place  between  1900  and 
2000  years  before  Columbus  discovered  America,  or  between  400  B.  C. 

1  Both  were  supposed  to  have  been  of  miraculous  birth,  and  sent  to  the  Indians  to  teach  them 
the  arts  of  government  and  peace. 


16  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  500  B.  C.     While  this  account  is  purely  traditional,  it  is  the  most 
authentic  in  existence. 

When  the  white  intruders  first  discovered  that  such  an  alliance  ex- 
isted, all  that  was  known  of  the  organization  of  the  form  of  government 
so  remarkable  among  a  savage  people  was,  as  we  have  stated,  a  mere 
tradition.  Each  nation  of  the  Confederacy  was  independent  of  every 
other  in  all  matters  of  a  local  character,  and  in  the  councils  no  sachem 
was  superior  to  another,  except  by  reason  of  higher  intellectual  attain- 
ments, such  as  they  might  be.  The  fifty  offices  created  at  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Confederacy  were  distributed  among  the  nations  according 
to  their  numerical  strength.  Of  these  offices  the  Mohawks  had  nine, 
the  Oneidas  nine,  the  Onondagas  fourteen,  the  Cayugas  ten  and  the 
Senecas  eight.  Although  these  offices  were  hereditary,  no  one  could 
become  a  ruler  or  sachem  until  elevated  to  such  a  place  by  a  council  of 
all  the  sachems  of  the  Confederacy.  The  sachems  who,  in  council, 
constituted  the  legislative  body  of  the  union  were  also  the  local  rulers 
of  their  respective  nations.  While  a  sachem  had  civil  authority,  he 
could  not  be  a  chieftain  in  war  until  elected  to  that  position.  Every 
sachem  went  on  the  warpath  as  a  common  warrior  unless  he  had  been 
doubly  honored  and  made  a  military  leader  as  well  as  a  civil  officer. 
The  Iroquois  nation  then  was  practically  a  Republic,  founded  on  much 
the  same  lines  as  the  United  States  of  America,  marvelous  as  this  may 
seem. 

The  policy  of  the  Iroquois  nation  in  war  appears  to  have  been  not  for 
the  sake  of  war  alone,  but  for  conquest  and  the  extension  of  the  nation's 
power  and  influence.  Instead  of  trying  to  exterminate  their  foes,  the 
Iroquois  strove  to  subjugate  and  adopt  them,  and  as  far  as  they  could  in 
their  weak  way,  to  enlighten  them.  So  successful  were  they  in  their 
efforts  that  at  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century  they  dominated  a  very 
large  portion  of  what  is  now  the  United  States.  The  Iroquois  of  New 
York  and  the  Algonquin  tribes  of  New  England  were  perpetually  at 
war.  The  Mohawks  and  Oneidas  occupied  the  Mohawk  valley  mainly, 
and  the  three  nations  west  of  them  were  compelled  to  pass  through  this 
region  when  starting  out  upon  the  eastern  warpath.  The  most  natural 
and  convenient  pathway  for  them  to  traverse  was  from  the  Mohawk 
valley  eastward,  leading  them  up  from  the  Hudson  to  the  valley  of  the 
Hoosick  river,  then  across  the  Berkshire  hills  or  the  southern  spur  of 
the  Green  mountains  to  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut  river.  Over  this 
trail  the  Five  Nations  marched  on  many  occasions,  according  both  to 


THE  INDIAN  OCCUPANCY.  17 

history  and  early  tradition,  and  in  and  near  the  county  of  Saratoga 
many  a  bloody  battle  was  fought  by  the  red  men  of  the  wilderness. 

The  Iroquois  Indians  were  the  bravest,  most  hardy,  most  industrious, 
most  politic,  most  intelligent  on  the  American  continent.  At  the  same 
time  they  were  the  most  resolute  and  desperate  fighters  when  an  appeal 
to  arms  was  made  for  thepurposeof  settling  a  dispute  with  another  tribe 
or  nation.  They  were  generally  victorious.  In  1650  they  invaded  the 
country  of  the  Hurons,  to  the  north  and  west.  The  year  following  they 
practically  annihilated  the  Neutral  Nation,  and  the  next  year  they  ex- 
terminated the  Eries.  In  1675  they  reduced  the  Andastes  or  Conesto- 
gas,  inhabitants  of  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland,  involved  them  in  war 
with  Maryland  and  Virginia,  when  they  abandoned  their  country  and 
fled  to  the  Roanoke,  but  were  finally  forced  to  submit  to  the  Iroquois 
and  return  to  the  valley  of  the  Susquehanna  and  Chesapeake.  They 
penetrated  as  far  westward  as  the  Mississippi  and  as  far  southward  as 
Southern  Tennessee,  compelling  all  the  tribes  inhabiting  that  region  to 
flee  before  them.  The  tribes  of  New  England  and  the  Hudson  valley 
trembled  at  their  name  and  paid  them  tribute.  Their  fury  was 
unbounded  when  in  battle.  They  rightly  deserved  the  title,  "Romans 
of  the  West." 

Even  many  years  after  the  first  settlement  of  the  country  about  Fort 
Orange,  bands  of  the  Iroquois,  then  of  the  Algonquins,  passed  through 
Saratoga  county  on  their  way  to  carry  out  their  plans  for  laying  waste 
the  villages  of  the  enemy.  The  famous  old  Wampanoag  chieftain. 
King  Philip,  once  invaded  the  county  in  the  winter  of  1675-76,  at  the 
head  of  a  band  of  500  warriors  bound  for  the  north.  His  followers  en- 
camped in  the  northern  part  of  the  county  and  prepared  to  strike  a 
decisive  blow  at  the  Mohawks.  In  February,  1676,  the  Mohawks 
assembled  and  marched  northward  over  the  famous  Indian  trail  leading 
through  the  county  and,  by  reason  of  superior  numbers .  and  a  better 
acquaintance  with  the  field  of  the  campaign,  succeeded  in  driving  the 
brave  old  chieftain  and  his  band  back  across  the  Hudson  River  and 
through  the  Hoosick  valley  to  the  other  side  of  the  mountains^  The 
famous  old  chief,  Greylock,  of  the  Waronoaks,  the  last  chief  of  his 
tribe,  also  frequently  passed  through  the  county  with  his  band  of 
warriors. 

In  1628  the  Mohawks  declared  war  against  the  Mohegans,  whose  chief 
village  was  on  or  near  the  present  site  of  Troy,  and  invaded  the  country 
of  the  latter.     Half  a  century  later  Uncas  and  his  little  body  of  Mohe- 
2 


18  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

gans,  now  greatly  reduced  numerically,  returned  from  the  Connecticut 
valley,  where  they  had  been  driven,  crossed  the  Hudson  to  the  present 
sites  of  Albany,  Watervliet  and  Waterford,  and  slew  many  of  their 
enemies,  the  Mohawks.  Later  on,  upon  the  dissolution  of  the  tribe, 
some  of  the  Mohegans  emigrated  westward  and  joined  the  Iroquois, 
some  of  them  even  amalgamating  with  their  ancient  enemies,  the 
Mohawks. 

The  Mohawk  Indians,  many  of  whom  inhabited  the  region  now  known 
as  Saratoga  county,  were  the  most  ferocious  nation  of  the  Iroquois  Con- 
federacy. Aside  from  this  characteristic,  they  were  very  much  like  the 
other  nations  of  the  Iroquois.  Their  most  famous  hunting-ground,  Sa- 
ragh-to  ga,"  was  identical  with  the  eastern  portion  of  Saratoga  county, 
and  the  western  part  of  Washington  county.  In  all  probability,  the 
land  so  called  extended  no  further  west  than  Saratoga  Lake. 

The  Mohawks  visited  in  great  numbers  the  mineral  spring  at  Sara- 
toga Springs  now  known  as  High  Rock,  and  they  appreciated  the 
medicinal  properties  of  its  waters ;  for  as  early  as  1767  they  induced 
Sir  William  Johnson  to  consent  to  be  carried  there  from  Johnson's  Hall 
at  Johnstown  on  a  litter,  having  persuaded  him  that  his  frequently 
recurring  sickness  would  be  cured  by  frequent  and  regular  drinking 
thereof.  They  also  came  from  all  over  their  territory  to  fish  in  Sara- 
toga lake  and  the  Hudson  river. 

Another  famous  hunting  ground  was  Kay-ad-ros-se-ra,°  which  lay 
west  of  Sa-raghto-ga.  Wild  animals  came  in  vast  numbers,  even 
from  the  Adirondacks  and  the  mountains  of  Vermont,  and  drank  the 
mineral  vyaters  found  in  Kay-ad-ros  se-ra,  and  the  streams  were  filled 
with  fish. 

Little  by  little  the  white  men  encroached  upon  the  domain  of  the 
savages,  and  the  latter,  finally  tiring  of  continual  quarrelings  with  the 
intruders  and  the  march  of  civilization,  weakened  in  numbers  and 
broken  in  spirit,  began  the  sale  of  their  possessions  piecemeal.  In  1684 
Peter  Philip  Schuyler,  and  six  other  residents  of  Albany,  purchased  the 
ground  known  as  Sa-ragh-to-ga,  and  the  grant  was  confirmed  by  the 
English  government.     This  grant  was  as  follows :' 

'  Sometimes  said  to  have  been  written  "  Se-rach-ta-gue."  Dr.  Hough,  the  historian,  says 
that  a  Caughnawaga  Indian  informed  him  that  the  original  word  was  "Sa-ra-ta-ke,"  meaning, 
"a  place  where  the  track  o£  the  heel  may  be  seen." 

'  The  original  for  Kayaderosseras,  according  to  Gauthier's  map  o£  1T79. 

'  This  grant  is  recorded  on  page  159  of  Liber  5  of  Deeds  and  Patents  in  the  office  of  the  Sec- 
retary of  state  at  Albany.    In  connection  therewith  is  recorded  a  map  sho wing^the  location  of  the 


THE  SARATOGA  PATENT.  19 

Saratoga  Patent — Thomas  Dongan,  Lieutenant  and  governor  and  Vice  Admiral, 
under  his  Royall  Highnesse  James,  Duke  of  York,  &c.,  of  New  Yorke  and  its  De- 
pendencyes  in  America.  To  all  to  whom  these  presents  shall  come  sendeth  greet- 
ing. Whereas  these  following  Maquaise  Sachems,  bothe  of  the  first  and  seconde 
castles,  viz.,  Roode  Laggodischquesex,  Aihagure  and  Tuskanoenda,  did,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Comander  and  Magistrates  of  Albany  and  all  the  Maquaise  Sachems, 
give  and  grant  unto  Cornelius  Van  Dyke,  John  Johnson  Bleeker,  Peter  Phillipps 
Schuyler  and  Johannes  Wendall,  together  with  Dyrick  Wessell,  David  Schuyler  and 
Robert  Livingston,  who  are  equally  concerned  in  the  purchase  of  said  tract  of  land. 

A  certain  Tract  or  Parcell  of  Land,  situate,  lyeing  and  being  to  the  north  of  Al- 
bany, on  both  sides  of  Hudsons  River  beginning  at  the  uppermost  limitts  of  the  land 
bought  formerly  by  Goose  Garretson  and  Phillip  Peterse  Schuyler  being  a  creek 
called  Lioneende  houwe,  which  is  the  Southermost  Bounds  of  the  said  lands  and  from 
thence  up  both  sides  of  the  River  Northerly  to  a  Creeke  or  Kill  on  the  East  side  of 
the  River  called  Dionoon  de  houwe,  the  land  on  said  Creeke  included.  Keeping  the 
same  length  on  the  West  side  of  the  River  and  soe  Runnes  East  and  West  into  the 
woods  as  farr  as  the  Indians  Right  and  title  to  the  within  menconed  Land  afore  re- 
cited as  by  a  certain  writing  or  Indian  Deed  bearing  Date  the  36th  Day  of  July  in 
the  thirty-fifth  yeare  of  his  Matees  Reigne  1683  Relacon  being  thereunto  had  doth 
more  fully  and  at  large  appeare  Now  Know  Yee  that  by  virtue  of  the  comicon  and 
authority  unto  me  given  by  his  Royall  Highnesse,  James  Duke  of  Yorke  and  Albany 
&c.  Lord  Proprietor  of  the  Province  of  New  Yorke  in  consideracon  of  the  Premises 
and  the  Quitt  Rents  hereinafter  reserved,  I  have  given,  granted,  Ratifyed  and  con- 
firmed and  by  these  presents  doe  hereby  Give,  Grant,  Ratifye  and  Confirme  unto 
the  said  Cornelius  Van  Dyke,  John  Johnson  Bleeker,  Peter  Phillipps  Schuyler,  Jo- 
hannes Wandell,  Derick  Wessells,  David  Schuyler  and  Robert  Livingston  their  heires 
and  assigns  forever  all  the  before  recited  Tract  and  Tracts,  Parcell  and  Parcells  of 
land  and  islands  within  the  said  bounds  Together  with  all  and  singular  Woods,  Un- 
derwoods, Waters,  Runnes,  Streames,  Ponds,  Creekes,  Meadows,  Marshes,  Fishing, 
Hawking,  Hunting  and  Fowling  and  all  other  Libertyes,  Priviledges,  Hereditaments, 
Appurtts  to  the  said  Trapt  of  land  and  Premises  belonging  or  in  anywise  apper- 
taining. 

To  Have  and  to  Hold  the  said  Tract  of  Land  and  Premises  with  all  and  singular 
appurtenances  before  menconed  and  intended  to  be  Granted,  Ratified  and  Confirmed 
unto  the  said  Cornells  Van  Dyke,  John  Johnson  Bleeker,  Peter  Phillipps  Schuyler, 
Johannes  Wandell,  Derick  Wessells,  David  Schuyler  and  Robert  Livingston  their 
heires  and  assignes  unto  the  proper  use  and  behoofe  of  the  said  Cornelius  Van  Dyke, 
John  Johnson  Bleeker,  Peter  Phillipps  Schuyler,  Johannes  Wandell,  Derick  Wessells, 
David  Schuyler  and  Robert  Livingston  their  heires  and  assignes  forever.  To  be 
holden  of  his  said  Royall  Highnesse,  his  heires  and  assignes  in  free  and  common 
Soccage  according  to  the  tenure  of  East  Greenwich  in  the  county  of  Kent  in  his 
Matees  Kingdome  of  England,  Yielding  and  Paying  therefore  Yearlye  and  every 
Yeare  as  a  quit  rent  for  his  Royall  Highnesse  use  twenty  Bushels  of  Good  Merchant- 
property  in  question.  This  property  extended  from  the  mouth  of  the  Battenkill,  near  Schuyler- 
ville,  southward  to  Tenendaho  creek,  at  Mechanicville,  and  from  point  to  point,  east  and  west  from 
the  Hudson  river,  six  miles  in  both  directions. 


20  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

able  winter  wheate  at  Albany  or  before  the  2th  day  of  March  unto  such  officer  or 
Officers  as  from  time  to  time  shall  be  appointed  to  Receive  the  same. 

Given  under  my  Hand  and  Sealed  with  the  Seale  of  the  Province  at  Fort  James 
in  New  Yorke  the  fourth  day  of  November  in  the  thirty-sixth  Yeare  of  the  Raigne 
of  our  Sovereign  Lord  Charles  the  Second  by  the  Grace  of  God  of  England,  Scot- 
land, France  and  Ireland,  King  Defender  of  the  Faith,  &c.,  Annoq.  Dom.  1684. 

Thos.  Dongan. 

October  6,  1784,  Kay-ad-ros-se-ra  was  sold  to  the  province  of  New 
York,  and  four  years  later  the  entire  estate  came  into  the  possession  of 
Nanning  Hermanse  and  several  other  wealthy  men  of  Albany  and  else- 
where, by  a  patent  granted  by  Queen  Anne.  But  it  was  not  until 
1768  that  the  first  Indian  deed  was  confirmed  by  the  tribe.  This  done, 
and  the  Indian  occupancy  of  Saratoga  county  was  at  an  end. 


CHAPTER  III. 


The  French  and  Indian  Wars — The  Frequent  Incursions  of  the  French  from  Can- 
ada Into  the  Land  of  the  Mohawks — Saratoga  County  a  Bloody  Battle  Ground— The 
Iroquois  and  English  Ever  on  Friendly  Terms — Fate  of  Father  Isaac  Jogues — The 
Massacre  at  Schenectady — Battles  in  Saratoga  County — The  Old  Saratoga  Massacre 
— The  Final  Struggle — Sir  William  Johnson's  Campaign — Fort  George,  Fort  William 
Henry,  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point. 

The  prime  cause  for  the  unwillingness  of  immigrants  to  establish 
homes  in  Saratoga  county,  and  the  slow  progress  made  in  the  develop- 
ment of  this  fertile  and  advantageously  situated  tract  of  land  by  a  civ- 
ilized people,  lay  in  the  long  and  seemingly  interminable  series  of 
French  and  Indian  wars,  as  they  are  known  in  history.  For  fully  a 
century  the  contest  for  supremacy  between  the  two  powers,  Great 
Britain  and  her  colonists  in  America  and  France  and  her  colonists,  was 
continued.  The  early  struggles  were  sporadic  and  without  definite 
plan  or  organization  on  either  side,  but  particularly  so  with  the  British. 
The  colonists  were  anxious,  on  both  sides,  to  have  the  question  of 
supremacy  settled,  but  one  war  followed  another  without  definite  re- 
sults, wearing  out  the  colonists,  exhausting  their  resources  and  leaving 
the  new  country  in  a  most  unsettled  and  wretched  condition.  Size  and 
population  considered,  no  community  suffered  more  from  this  long 
struggle  than  did  the  county  of  Saratoga.     Attempt  after  attempt  to 


THE  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WARS.  31 

make  permanent  settlements  within  its  borders  was  foiled,  as  has  been 
seen  in  a  preceding  chapter,  and  hundreds,  perhaps  thousands,  of  the 
pioneers  of  the  county  were  either  killed  in  battle,  taken  prisoners 
and  carried  to  Canada,  or  massacred.  Once  Great  Britain  had  driven 
the  French  back  to  Canada,  practically  deciding  the  contest ;  but,  to 
the  despair  of  the  wearied  colonists,  she  refused  to  take  advantage  of 
the  victory  that  she  had  so  gloriously  won,  and  made  a  treaty  conced- 
ing to  France  all  that  the  English  colonists  had  won  for  her,  after  sac- 
rificing thousands  of  lives  and  a  vast  treasure. 

While  most  histories  of  the  United  States,  in  telling  the  story  of  the 
French  and  Indian  War,  refer  only  to  the  culminating  conflict  which 
began  in  1754  and  ended  in  1763,  the  series  of  wars  undertaken  toward 
the  end  accomplished  in  that  struggle  began  soon  after  the  middle  of 
the  seventeenth  century.  The  cause  of  the  final  war  was  the  conflict- 
ing territorial  claims  of  the  two  nations.  It  was  the  existence  of  this 
common  cause,  the  integrity  of  English  sovereignty  and  of  the  English- 
speaking  people,  that  impelled  the  colonies  finally  to  cease,  in  a  meas- 
ure, their  inter-colonial  wrangles  and  act  together  against  a  common 
foe,  as  they  again  did  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  For  a  long  time 
prejudice,  suspicion  and  mutual  jealousy  kept  them  apart;  but  when 
they  came  to  understand  that  the  great  question  was  whether  they 
should  be  subjects  of  Great  Britain  or  of  France,  old  antagonisms  were 
thrown  into  the  background  or  allowed  to  perish  utterly,  more  charit- 
able sentiments  prevailed,  and  the  love  for  and  the  desire  to  protect 
and  advance  the  interests  of  the  Mother  Country  predominated. 

The  sea-coast  had  been  colonized  by  England ;  the  interior  had  been 
colonized  by  France.  The  Jesuit  priests  of  the  latter,  from  Quebec  to 
Louisiana,  had  won  the  Indians  by  their  grand  religious  rites  and 
taught  them  to  hate  the  English.  Thus  England  had  to  defend  herpelf 
against  not  only  the  French  but  their  powerful  savage;  allies  as  well. 
La  Salle's  explorations  had  done  much  to  strengthen  the  claims  of  the 
French  to  western  territory,  and  correspondingly  to  weaken  the  position 
of  the  English.  Before  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  France 
had  the  English  colonists  hemmed  in  their  well  settled  territory  along 
the  Atlantic  and  was  well  prepared  to  defend  her  claims  to  the  great 
unknown  West.  Of  the  North  she  already  felt  secure.  The  knowledge 
of  her  successful  efforts  in  the  West  increased  the  long-standing  ani- 
mosities between  the  colonists  of  the  two  nations.  Finally,  when  the 
frontiersmen  of  the  two  nations  had  a  conflict  over  the  attempt  to  col- 


32  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

onize  the  Ohio  valley,  in  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  the 
signal  for  the  general  inauguration  of  hostilities  was  hoisted  and  the 
final  desperate  struggle  for  national  supremacy  on  the  great  American- 
continent  began. 

When  Father  Isaac  Jogues  made  his  famous  journey  into  the  land  of 
the  Iroquois,  penetrating  to  the  Mohawk  valley,  he  invaded  territory 
over  which  Holland  claimed  sovereignty.  When,  in  1666,  the  famous 
expedition  headed  by  Marquis  de  Tracy,  Sieur  de  Courcelle  and  Gov- 
ernor Daniel  de  Remi  passed  from  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  Mphawk, 
through  Saratoga  county,  over  the  same  trail  followed  by  the  martyr 
Jogues,  for  the  purpose  of  avenging  the  death  of  Tracy's  young  friend 
Sieur  Chazy,  who  a  short  time  before  had  been  murdered  by  a  Mohawk 
Indian  at  the  mouth  of  the  Chazy  River,  they  invaded  territory  over 
which  the  English  claimed  sovereignty.  But  this  expedition  did  not 
seem  to  bring  the  English  to  a  realization  of  the  danger  that  menaced 
them,  for  not  even  a  mild  remonstrance  was  made  to  the  French  gov- 
ernment. After  the  French  invaders  had  pillaged  the  Mohawk  villages, 
destroying  the  crops  and  burning  the  wigwams,  they  even  went  so  far, 
by  Tracy's  order  as  to  take  possession  of  all  the  country  of  the  Mohawks, 
in  the  name  of  the  King  of  France.  This  ended  the  war  of  1666,  but 
it  left  the  sovereignty  to  the  land  cif  the  Mohawks  in  dispute  and  formed 
the  great  entering  wedge  for  the  bloody  conflicts  which  were  to  follow. 
For  both  nations  could  not  be  supreme  on  the  same  territory. 

Comparative  peace  reigned  for  about  twenty  years  after  the  expedi- 
tion of  1666.  Then  from  1686  to  1695  the  Mohawks  and  the  French 
continued  the  struggle,  which  had  been  renewed  by  the  former  in  re- 
venge for  the  spoliation  of  their  beautiful  valley  twenty  years  before. 
Prior  to  1689  Governor  Denonville  of  Quebec  had  been  on  unfriendly 
terms  with  the  Iroquois  for  a-  number  of  years.  In  the  meantime 
Governor  Dongan  of  New  York  had  become  their  warm  friend  and 
ally.  The  wrath  of  the  latter  was  aroused  when  he  heard  that  the 
French  had  invaded  the  country  of  the  Senecas,  seized  English  traders 
on  the  Great  Lakes  and  erected  a  fort  on  the  Niagara  River.  Summon- 
ing representatives  of  the  Five  Nations  to  meet  him  at  Albany  he 
induced  them  to  swear  eternal  enmity  against  the  French.  His  next 
step  was  to  procure  from  King  James  II  authority  to  protept  the 
Iroquois  as  British  subjects.  This  may  be  said  to  have  been  the  prac- 
tical beginning  of  English  participation  in  the  struggle. 

In  July,  1689,  the  Iroquois  assembled  and  started  in  great  force  upon 


THE  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WARS.  23 

the  warpath.  Passing  down  the  Mohawk  to  a  point  a  short  distance 
below  Schenectady  they  began  their  journey  through  Saratoga  county 
towards  Quebec.  They  crossed  Ballston  Lake  in  canoes,  then  marched 
to  the  Mourning  kill  and  descended  into  the  valley  of  the  Kayader- 
osseras,  paddling  to  and  across  Saratoga  Lake.  Then,  by  way  of  the 
Fish  kill,  they  entered  the  Hudson  and  sped  northward.  On  August  5 
they  reached  Lake  St.  Louis,  an  expansion  of  the  St.  Lawrence  a  short 
distance  above  Montreal.  Landing  at  Lachirie  in  the  midst  of  a  terrific 
storm,  late  at  night,  they  descended  upon  the  ill-protected  settlement 
and,  with  a  war  whoop,  began  the  most  awful  massacre  in  Canadian 
history.  Nearly  every  man,  woman  and  child  in  the  village  was  hacked 
to  (Jeath,  and  the  houses  pillaged  and  burned.  The  garrisons  in  the 
three  forts  nearby  prepared  to  attack  the  1,500  marauders  the  next 
morning,  but  word  was  received  from  Denonville  for  the  troops  to 
stand  solely  upon  the  defensive.  Eighty  men  from  a  fort  near  at  hand 
attempted  to  join  the  force  assembled,  but  the  Iroquois  intercepted  and 
almost  annihilated  the  detachment.  Late  in  Octobef,  after  pillaging 
the  country  for  miles  in  every  direction  and  taking  ninety  prisoners,  the 
Iroquois  started  homeward.  On  the  west  side  of  Lake  St.  Louis  they 
spent  an  entire  night  in  inflicting  the  most  horrible, tortures  upon  their 
prisoners,  and  it  is  even  charged  that  in  their  awful  rage  they  ate  flesh 
from  the  bodies  of  some  of  their  captives.  They  then  continued  their 
march  southward,  reaching  the  Mohawk  valley  in  the  early  days  of 
November,  having  lost  scarcely  a  warrior  from  their  ranks. 

In  the  meantime  James  II  had  been  driven  from  England,  William 
of  Orange  had  seized  the  throne  and  war  had  been  declared  between 
England  and  France.  Denonville  had  been  superseded  by  Count  de 
Frontenac,  and  the  English  colonists,  assisted  by  the  Iroquois,  were 
about  to  attack  the  French.  Frontenac,  instead  of  opposing  the  Iro- 
quois, attempted  to  enlist  them  as  his  friends  by  conquering  them.  In 
January,  1690,  a  regiment  of  French  and  Canadian  Indians  left  Mon- 
treal and  directed  their  march  to  the  south.  They  were  formed  into 
three  parties — one  to  strike  at  Albany,  one  at  New  Hampshire  and'one 
at  Maine.  The  Albany  party  was  the  first  to  march.  It  was  composed 
of  two  hundred  men.  Over  the  old  trail  they  passed,  entering  Saratoga 
county  across  the  river  from  Fort  Edward  late  in  January.  At  Schuy- 
lerville  they  inadvertently  took  the  road  to  Schenectady,  instead  of 
following  the  Albany  trail.  February  8,  about  dusk,  they  reached  the 
Mohawk  and  crossed  on  the  ice.     About  midnight  they  silently  entered 


24  OUR  COUNfY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  gate  of  the  stockade  surrounding  the  village  of  Schenectady,  sur- 
rounded the  houses  and  with  a  mighty  war-whoop  began  the  work  of 
massacre  and  destruction.  Thirty  eight  men  and  boys,  ten  women  and 
twelve  children  were  killed  outright.  A  few  inhabitants  escaped  and 
fled  to  Albany,  barefoot,  in  a  foot  of  snow.  Between  eighty  andniijety 
persons  were  captured.  The  next  day  the  invaders  started  to  return 
to  Montreal,  covering  the  same  route  over  which  they  had  come. 

The  first  call  for  a  General  Congress  of  the  American  colonies  was 
made  by  Massachusetts  in  1690  in  accordance  with  a  populat  demand 
that  the  colonies  should  organize  an  armed  force  for  common  defense 
against  the  French  and  Indians.  In  accordance  with  the  call  commis- 
sioners from  the  colonies  of  New  York,  Massachusetts,  Connecticut, 
Virginia  and  Maryland  met  in  the  city  of  New  York  May  1,  1690,  and 
agreed  to  raise  a  force  of  855  men  to  repel  the  French  and  Indian  inva- 
sion and  if  possible  to  wrest  Canada  from  the  French.  The  campaign 
was  a  disastrous  one.  In  accordance  with  the  suggestion  of  the  Con- 
gress an  expedition  was  fitted  out  and  placed  in  the  command  of  Gen- 
eral Fitz-John  Winthrop  of  Connecticut.  Winthrop  left  Hartford  July 
14,  1690.  August  1  the  expedition,  which  had  been  joined  by  one 
hundred  and  fifty  Mohawk  Indians,  reached  Stillwater  and  encamped 
for  the  night.  The  next  morning  he  proceeded  to  Schuylerville,  where 
a  small  blockhouse  was  occupied  by  a  Dutch  garrison.  Here  he  re- 
ceived letters  from  Major  Peter  Schuyler  of  Albany,  who  had  gone  on 
to  Fort  Miller.  August  4  he  proceeded  to  the  latter  fort.  On  the 
night  of  the  4th  he  encamped  with  Major  Schuyler  and  the  Mohawk 
chiefs  hear  Whitehall.  But  small-pox  had  broken  out  among  the  army 
of  Winthrop  and  the  Indians,  and  as  it  was  evident  that  there  would 
be  no  hostilities,  it  was  decided,  August  15,  to  return  to  Albany,  de- 
stroying a  few  of  the  minor  forts.  Captain  John  Schuyler,  however, 
continued  on  down  Lake  Champlain  and  made  a  raid  upon  the  Cana- 
dian settlement  of  La  Prairie.  Thus  ended,  with  no  results,  the  first 
English  expedition  against  Canada  and  the  French.  A  year  later  Major 
Peter  Schuyler  attacked  the  same  place,  but  the  raid  was  of  no  practi- 
cal benefit  to  the  colonies. 

The  next  attack  was  made  in  1693.  Late  in  January  Governor  Fron- 
tenac  dispatched  six  hundred  and  twenty-five  men,  including  one  hun- 
dred regular  soldiers,  a  number  of  Indians  and  a  large  band  of  voyag- 
eurs  to  destroy  the  Mohawk  castles  and  do  all  the  damage  possible  in  the 
vicinity  of  Fort  Orange,     On  the  night  of  February  16,  after  having 


THE  FRENCH  AND  ENGLISH  WAR.  25 

passed  through  the  eastern  part  of  Saratoga  county,  they  attacked  two 
of  the  Mohawk  towns,  killed  several  of  the  inhabitants  and  made  the 
rest  captives. 

In  the  meantime  the  alarm  had  been  sounded  by  the  inhabitants  of 
the  valley,  and  a  small  but  well  equipped  force,  mostly  on  horseback, 
left  Albany  in  command  of  Captain  John  Schuyler.  Major  Peter 
Schuyler  also  sent  out  scouts  to  watch  the  movements  of  the  enemy. 
February  15  the  Albany  company,  reinforced  by  a  body  of  Mohawks, 
reached  a  point  near  Galway.  Two  days  later,  having  ascertained  the 
whereabouts  of  the  invaders,  they  proceeded  to  Greenfield  Centre. 
The  energy  were  now  only  three  miles  away.  On  the  eastern  border 
of  the  Palmerton  mountains,  in  the  town  of  Wilton,  they  had  erected  a 
fort  after  the  Indian  fashion.  Before  this  fort  the  English  and  Mohawks 
soon  appeared  and  a  battle  ensued.  Neither  party  gained  an  advant- 
age and  the  fight  was  abandoned  until  morning.  It  snowed  all  night. 
The  English  suffered  from  lack  of  food,  but  the  Indians  boiled  and  ate 
the  body  of  a  Frenchman  who  had  been  killed  in  battle.  During  the 
night  the  Canadians  retreated,  and  the  English,  half  starved,  refused 
to  pursue  their  enemies.  A  day  later,  however,  provisions  arrived 
from  Albany  and  the  pursuit  of  the  French  was  begun.  But  the  French, 
when  nearly  overtaken,  sent  word  that  if  they  were  attacked  they  would 
kill  all  prisoners.  On  hearing  this  the  pursuit  was  abandoned  and  the 
English  and  Mohawks  returned  home.  Two  years  afterward,  in  1695, 
the  peace  of  Ryswick  was  declared,  and  there  was  no  further  contest 
in  the  Saratoga  wilderness  until  the  opening  of  Queen  Anne's  war. 

In  1709,  during  Queen  Anne's  war,  another  expedition  against  Can- 
ada was  planned.  Five  regiments  of  British  regulars  were  to  be  joined 
by  1,200  provincial  troops,  who  were  to  proceed  by  sea  to  Quebec. 
Troops  were  also  to  proceed  from  Albany  against  Montreal,  in  com- 
mand of  General  Nicholson  and  Colonel  Vetch,  a  nephew  of  Peter 
Schuyler,  now  a  British  colonel.  June  1  three  hundred  men  under 
Colonel  Schuyler  proceeded  to  Stillwater,  where  they  built  Fort  In- 
goldsby.  They  also  built  stockaded  forts  at  Saratoga,  below  the  Bat- 
ten kill,  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  at  Fort  Miller  falls,  at  Fort  Ed- 
ward, and  at  Fort  Ann,  calling  the  latter  Fort  Schuyler.  All  were  well 
garrisoned,  the  forces  having  been  increased  to  1,150  men.  While  at 
Fort  Ann  sickness  broke  out  and  greatly  reduced  the  British  forces, 
which  filially  returned  to  Albany.  In  1711  another  army  left  Albany, 
but  intelligence  being  received  that  the  Queen's  naval  expedition  had 


26  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

been  broken  up  by  a  severe  storm  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  the  expedition 
returned  to  Albany,  having  accomplished  nothing. 

In  1744  war  was  again  declared  between  England  and  France.  Dur- 
ing the  period  of  peace  the  French  had  advanced  up  Lake  Champlain  as 
far  as  Crown  Point,  where  they  had  erected  Fort  St.  Frederick  in  1731. 
In  November,  1745,  a  French  expedition,  originally  intended  to  attack 
the  English  settlements  in  the  Connecticut  valley,  proceeded  to  Sara- 
toga On  the  16th  they  attacked  the  village,  killed  thirty  persons,  took 
sixty  prisoners  and  burned  twenty  houses.  Among  those  killed  was 
John  Philip  Schuyler,  an  uncle  of  General  Philip  Schuyler  of  Revolu- 
tionary fame.  In  1746  the  English  rebuilt  the  fort  there  and  named  it 
Fort  Clinton.  August  29  of  that  year  a  band  of  French  and  Indians 
attacked  a  party  of  soldiers  near  the  gates  of  the  fort,  killed  four  men 
and  took  four  prisoners.  June  11  of  the  following  year  an  expedition 
from  Fort  St.  Frederick,  commanded  by  La  Come  St.  Luc,  approached 
Fort  Clinton.  At  daybreak  the  next  morning  a  fierce  battle  ensued; 
but  the  French  ambuscaded  the  English,  killing  twenty-eight  and 
taking  forty  five  prisoners.  Several  of  the  English  attempted  to  escape 
by  the  river,  but  were  drowned.  Three  or  four  months  later  Fort  Clin- 
ton was  deserted  and  burned  by  the  English,  leaving  the  French  in 
control  of  the  territory  north  of  the  Mohawk  river.  Peace  was  pro- 
claimed in  May,  1748. 

The  final  grand  struggle  for  supremacy  between  the  French  and 
English  began  in  1754  and  continued  until  1763.  During  these  years 
great  armies  marched  through  Saratoga  county,  leaving  thousands  of 
dead  upon  its  fields.  The  events  of  this  closing  drama  are  so  well 
known  that  we  shall  simply  touch  upon  those  campaigns  which  took 
place  within  or  partly  within  the  borders  of  Saratoga  county.  The  first 
of  these  was  the  famous  expedition  of  Sir  William  Johnson,  in  1755. 

The  French  had  occupied  Fort  St.  Frederibk,  at  Crown  Point,  since 
1731.  In  order  to  drive  them  thence  into  Canada  an  army  of  five  thou- 
sand provincial  troops  was  raised.  In  the  latter  part  of  June,  1755, 
this  army  assembled  at  Albany,  where  it  was  joined  byalarge  party  of 
Mohawk  warriors  under  King  Hendrick.'     Early  in  July  six  hundred 

1  "  This  celebrated  warrior  was,  for  a  time,  the  most  distinguished  Indian  in  the  colony  of 
New  York.  ,  .  He  was  born  about  the  year  1680,  and  generally  dwelt  at  the  Upper  Castle  of 
the  Mohawk  nation,  although  for  a  time  he  resided  near  the  present  residence  of  Nicholas  Yost, 
on  the  north  side  of  the  Mohawk,  below  the  Nose.  He  was  one  of  the  most  sagacious  and  active 
sachems  of  his  time.  He  stood  high  in  the  confidence  of  Sir  William  Johnson,  with  whom  he  was 
engaged  in  many  perilous  enterprises  against  the  Canadian  French;  and  under  whose  command 


THE  FRENCH  AND  ENGLISH  WAR.  27 

men  proceeded  to  the  site  of  old  Fort  Nicholson  and  erected  a  new  fort 
which  was  named  Fort  Lyman,'  in  honor  of  the  officer  in  command  of 
the  advance  troops.  Another  detachment  of  the  army  soon  afterward 
built  Fort  Miller,''  at  the  rapids  above  Saratoga. 

August  8  General  Johnson  left  Albany  with  the  artillery,  command- 
ing in  person.  The  latter  part  of  the  month  he  reached  the  head  of 
Lake  George,  intending  to  pass  through  to  the  outlet  and  fortify  Ticon- 
deroga,  better  to  enable  him  to  operate  against  Crown  Point.  But  the 
French  had  beaten  him,  had  strongly  fortified  that  point  and  garrisoned 
it  with  3,000  men,  under  command  of  Baron  Dieskau.  The  latter,  ex- 
pecting an  immediate  attack,  dispatched  a  force  of  1,700  men  to  capture 
Fort  Edward,  drop  down  the  river  and  menace  Albany.,.  September  7 
he  pushed  down  to  within  seven  miles  of  Fort  Edward,  then  changed 
his  plans  and  moved  to  the  southern  extremity  of  French  mountain, 
where  he  encamped  over  night. 

Learning  of  Dieskau's  movements,  on  the  morning  of  the  8th  Gen- 
eral Johnson  sent  out  Colonel  Ephraim  Williams "  with  a  thousand 
troops  and  King  Hendrick  with  two  hundred  Mohawk  Indians.  After 
marching  four  miles  they  fell  into  an  ambuscade  of  the  enemy,  who 
opened  a  terrific  fire.  Colonel  Williams  at  once  changed  the  position 
of  his  men,  but  found  himself  in  another  trap.  He  fell,  and  Hendrick 
soon  followed  him.  Men  were  cut  down  by  the  score,  and  the  little 
army  soon  retreated  precipitately.  The  dead  bodies  of  Williams  and 
Hendrick  were  left  on  the  field. 

Soon  Dieskau's  army  reached  the  English  encampment,  which  had 
been  hastily  barricaded  by  logs.  The  camp  was  assailed  in  front  and 
on  both  flanks.  Johnson  was  wounded  early  in  the  fight,  and  General 
Lyman  assumed  command.     After  four  hours  of  desperate  fighting 

helped  in  the  batUe  of  Lake  George,  September  8, 1755,  covered  with  glory.  In  the  November 
number  of  the  Gentleman's  Magazine,  for  1655,  is  the  following  notice  of  his  death:  '  The  whole 
body  of  our  Indians  were  prodigiously  exasperated  against  the  French  and  their  Indians,  occa- 
sioned by  the  death  of  the  famous  Hendrick,  a  renowned  Indian  warrior  among  the  Mohawks,  and 
one  of  their  sachems,  or  kings,  who  "was  slain  in  the  battle,  and  whose  son  upon  being  told  that 
his  father  was  killed,  giving  the  usual  Indian  groan  upon  such  occasions,  and  suddenly  putting 
.  his  hand  on  his  left  breast,  swore  his  father  was  still  alive  in  that  place,  and  stood  there  in  his 
son.'  " — Simms's  Border  Wars  of  New  York,  1845. 

1  The  name  was  soon  afterward  changed  to  Fort  Edward,  in  honor  of  Edward,  Duke  of  York, 
grandson  of  George  II.  It  stood  upon  the  east  bank  of  the  Hudson,  on  the  north  side  of  Fort 
Edward  creek. 

^  Named  after  Colonel  Miller,  commander  of  the  force  which  built  it. 

3  Colonel  Williams  was  born  at  Newton,  Mass.,  February  24, 1715.  He  served  in  King  George's 
war;  built  Fort  Massachusetts  near  Williamstown,  Mass.;  founded  a  free  school  at  Williamstown 
which  afterwards  became  Williams  College. 


28  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Dieskau  ordered  a  retreat,  and  he  was  severely  wounded  during  his 
flight.  The  French  retreated  to  the  ground  where  the  morning's  en- 
gagement had  occurred  and  prepared  to  encamp  for  the  night.  Mean- 
time Colonel  Blanchard,  in  charge  of  Fort  Edward  garrison,  two  hun- 
dred of  whom  had  been  ranging  the  woods,  hearing  the  cannonading, 
hastened  to  the  scene.  At  nightfall  they  reached  the  French  camp  as 
a  number  of  French  soldiers  were  refreshing  themselves  at  a  pool. 
They  fired  on  the  enemy,  and  so  great  was  the  slaughter  at  the  first  fire 
that  the  pool  became  as  a  mass  of  blood.'  The  French  soon  rallied, 
but  after  a  sharp  fight  fled  in  rout,  leaving  their  packs  and  baggage, 
besides  a  number  of  prisoners,  in  the  hands  of  the  victors.  This  ended 
the  fighting.  The  rout  of  the  French  army  was  complete.  The  French 
loss  was  seven  hundred  killed,  while  the  English  lost  two  hundred  and 
thirty.  This  engagement  was  one  of  the  most  important  and  decisive 
in  the  history  of  the  country. 

Early  in  the  summer  of  1756  Colonel  Seth  Winslow,  with  6,000 
troops,  marched  from  Albany  to  Stillwater,  where  he  erected  a  sub- 
stantial fort  on  the  site  of  old  Fort  Ipgoldsby,  which  he  named  Fort 
Winslow.  He  spent  the  summer  at  Lake  George,  and  returned  to 
Albany  in  the  fall,  having  accomplished  nothing. 

In  the  summer  of  1757  Montcalm  made  a  brilliant  campaign  in  the 
country  of  Lake  George.  With  a  splendid  force  of  6,000  French  and 
Canadians  and  1,700  Indians  he  proceeded  up  the  Sorel  River,  entered 
Lake  Champlain  and  reached  Ticonderoga.  The  object  of  his  expedi- 
tion was  to  capture  and  destroy  Fort  William  Henry,  on  Lake  George. 
August  2  General  Webb,  commanding  the  English  forces,  sent  Colonel 
Monroe  from  Fort  Edward,  with  his  regiment,  to  take  command  of  the 
garrison  at  Fort  William  Henry.  The  garrison  at  this  time  numbered 
2,200  men,  four  hundred  and  fifty  of  whom  occupied  the  fort,  the  re- 
mainder being  posted  in  the  fortified  camp  near  the  forts.  The  main 
army,  about  4,500  men,  remained  under  Webb's  command  at  Fort 
Edward.  August  3  Montcalm  invested  the  fort.  Monroe  sent  repeat- 
edly to  Webb,  asking  for  reinforcements,  but  the  latter,  one  of  the 
most  worthless  officers  in  the  English  army,  did  not  even  reply  to  these 
requests,  though  he  knew  of  the  superior  force  of  the  French  at  hand. 
Early  in  June  General  Johnson,  realizing  the  weakness  of  the  American 
position  at  this  important  point,  had  obtained  permission  from  Webb 
to  march  to  the  relief  of  Fort  William  Henry,  but  his  force  had  scarcely 

'  This  pond  has  since  borne  the  name  of  "  Bloody  Pond." 


THE  FRENCH  AND  ENGLISH  WAR.  29 

begun  their  march  when  they  were  ordered  back  to  the  posts.  August 
9  Monroe  was  compelled  to  surrender.  The  ammunition  was  nearly 
exhausted  and  half  the  guns  were  burst.  Montcalm  granted  honorable 
terms  of  surrender,  but  when  the  English  forces  evacuated  the  fort  the 
Indians,  in  true  savage  style,  fell  upon  the  unarmed  men  and  mas- 
sacred hundreds  of  them.  Montcalm  strove  to  put  a  stop  to  the 
butchery,  but  the  savages  could  not  be  controlled.  The  remnant  of 
the  garrison  finally  reached  Fort  Edward  in  small  parties,  and  Mont- 
calm, chagrined  over  the  treachery  of  his  Indian  allies,  burned  the  fort 
and  retired  to  Ticonderoga.  At  the  close  of  the  war,  after  two  years 
of  reverses  to  the  English  cause,  France  possessed  twenty  times  as 
much  American  territory  as  England  and  Spain  together.  The  British 
flag  had  been  disgraced  by  the  imbecility  of  worthless  English  officers. 

English  arms  met  with  better  success  during  the  succeeding  two 
years.  In  1758,  after  the  siege  of  Louisburg  and  its  capitulation, 
Abercrombie  started  on  his  expedition.  July  5, 15,000  men  under  Lord 
Howe  reached  Lake  George  and  embarked  for  Ticonderoga.  On  the 
morning  of  the  6th,  when  the  English  were  nearing  the  fort,  they  fell 
in  with  the  French  picket  line,  numbering  no  more  than  three  hundred 
men.  In  the  skirmish  that  ensued  the  French  were  overwhelmed,  but 
not  until  they  had  inflicted  on  the  English  a  great  loss  in  the  death  of 
Lord  Howe.  Stricken  with  grief,  the  soldiers  in  the  latter's  command 
began  a  retreat  to  the  landing. 

On  the  morning  of  the  8th  the  English  engineer  reported  falsely  that 
the  fortifications  of  Ticonderoga  were  trifling.  Again  the  army  was 
put  in  motion,  and  when  just  beyond  the  reach  of  the  French  guns, 
the  divisions  were  arranged  to  carry  the  place  by  assault.  For  mote 
than  four  hours  column  after  column  dashed  against  the  enemy's 
breastworks,  which  were  found  to  be  strong  and  well  constructed.  At 
six  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  repulse  of  the  English  was  finally 
effected.  The  carnage  was  awful,  the  English  loss  amounting  to  1916 
in  killed  and  wounded.  In  no  battle  in  the  Revolutionary  war  did  the 
British  have  so  large  a  force  engaged  or  meet  so  terrible  a  loss. 

Still  the  English  might  have  returned  and  captured  the  fort,  for 
they  outnumbered  the  French  three  to  one.  But  the  weak  Abercrom- 
bie returned  to  Fort  George,  at  the  head  of  the  lake,  and  contented 
himself  with  sending  a  force  of  3,000  men  under  Colonel  Bradstreet 
against  Fort  Frontenac.  The  fort  capitulated,  counterbalancing  Aber- 
crombie's  dismal  failure  at  Ticonderoga. 


30  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

•In  1759  the  gallant  Amherst  superseded  Abercrombie  as  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  British  forces.  In  June  of  that  year,  at  the  head  of  12,000 
men,  he  advanced  to  Lake  George,  where  he  began  the. construction  of 
Fort  George.  The  total  French  forces  on  Lakes  George  and  Champlain 
now  numbered  but  3,000  men.  July  22  Amherst  invested  Fort  Ticon- 
deroga  without  firing  a  gun.  Four  days  later  the  French  blew  up  Fort 
Carillon  at  Ticonderoga,  and  retired  to  Crown  Point,  leaving  the  heavy 
artillery  under  a  guard  of  twenty  men.  Upon  the  approach  of  the 
English  forces  they  fled,  and  the  entire  French  army  retreated  to  the 
mouth  of  Lake  Champlain.  The  remainder  of  that  summer  Amherst 
spent  in  rebuilding  the  splendid  fortifications  at  Lake  George,  Ticon- 
deroga and  Crown  Point. 

Thus  closed  the  campaign  of  1758  and  the  conflict  in  Eastern  New 
York.  Though  the  treaty  of  peace  was  not  signed  until  February  10, 
1763,  Saratoga  county  and  its  environments  were  spared  any  further 
horrors  of  war  until  the  famous  campaign  of  General  Burgoynein  1777, 
the  first  decisive  battle  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


Settlements  in  Saratoga  County  Prior  to  the  War  of  the  Revolution — The  Earliest 
Permanent  Settlement  Made  Along  the  Banks  of  the  Hudson  North  of  Half  Moon 
Point,  and  Across  the  River  from  Schenectady — The  March  of  Progress  Northward 
Along  the  Hudson — Some  of  the  Early  Pioneers. 

Many  years  before  the  Indian  inhabitants  relinquished  control  of 
what  is  now  Saratoga  county,  families  of  industrious  whites  settled 
in  various  parts  of  the  county  and  founded  homes.  These  pioneers 
came  principally  from  England,  Scotland,  the  North  of  Ireland  and 
from  the  Netherlands.  There  were  a  few  French  families,  some  Can- 
adians and  some  from  other  localities — Massachusetts,  Connecticut 
and  the  city  of  Albany.  Few  settlements  were  made,  however,  ex- 
cepting those  in  the  extreme  southern  part  of  the  county,  until  Great 
Britain  had  driven  France  from  Canada  and  the  long  series  of  bloody 
French  and  Indian  wars  had  come  to  a  conclusion. 

But  many  white  men  had  visited  and  partially  explored  the  interior 
of  the  county  long  before  permanent  settlements  were  there  effected. 


EARLY  SETTLEMENTS.  31 

In  the  fall  of  1609  Henry  Hudson  ascended  the  river  which  bears  his 
name  and  probably  reached  the  shallow  water  near  the  present  site  of 
Waterford,  though  the  journal  of  his  journey  makes  no  mention  of  his 
having  landed  at  that  point.  The  immortal  Jesuit  father,  Isaac  Jogues, 
and  his  companions,  Rene  Goupil  and  Guillame  Couture,  who  were  the 
first  white  men  to  see  the  waters  of  Lake  George,  were  carried  prison- 
ers by  the  Indians  through  Saratoga  county's  territory  to  the  Indian 
castles  on  the  Mohawk.  This  was  in  August,  1643.  In  October,  1666, 
the  Marquis  de  Tracy  followed  the  same  trail  with  his  little  army  to  meet 
the  Mohawks  and  avenge  the  death  of  his  young  friend  Chazy.  In  1646 
Father  Jogues  made  a  second  journey  over  the  same  trail,  this  time 
going  as  a  missionary  to  the  savages  who,  four  years  before,  had  sub- 
jected him  to  the  most  horrible  tortures.  The  trail  followed  by  both 
these  travelers  ran  from  the  Hudson  at  Glens  Falls  along  the  foot  of 
Mount  McGregor,  then  crossed  the  whole  length  of  Greenfield,  passed 
near  Lake  Desolation  and  continued  through  Providence  and  Galway 
to  Caughnawaga  (Fonda),  in  the  Mohawk  valley. 

The  early  records  of  the  county  are  so  vague  and  meagre  that  the 
location  of  the  first  permanent  settlements  in  the  county  cannot  be  ac- 
curately stated ;  but  a  concensus  of  the  opinions  of  the  most  reliable 
writers,  founded  on  the  colonial  records,  is  to  the  effect  that  the  first 
settlements  were  made  in  the  extreme  southeastern  part  of  the  county, 
on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson,  within  a  few  years  after  the  settlement  of 
the  country  about  Albany.  These  settlements  were  begun  by  the 
Dutch  near  Waterford  some  time  not  far  from  the  middle  of  the  sev- 
enteenth century,  and  possibly  earlier  than  that  date,  though  it  is  ex- 
tremely improbable  that  any  permanent  homes  were  established  thefe 
prior  to  the  year  1640.'  It  is  probable,  however,  that  as  early  as  16^8 
or  1629  regular  trips  were  made  by  the  traders  of  Beverwyck  to  Half 
Moon  Point,  as  the  latter  place  was  less  than  three  hours'  journey  from 
the  Fort.  Beside  this,  the  Mohawks  made  Half  Moon  Point  a  rendez- 
vous for  trading  with  other  tribes  and  among  themselves,  and  the  pass- 
age across  the  river  was  rendered  comparatively  easy  by  a  ford  from 
the  Point  across  to  Haver  Island  on  the  south. 

The  names  of  the  early  Dutch  settlers  of  Waterford^that  is  to  say, 
the  heads  of  the  families — doubtless  are  included  in  the  following  taken 
from  the  census  of  the  city  and  county  of  Albany  in  1720:    Jacobus 

*  This  may  be  assumed  from  the  early  records  of  the  doings  of  the  traders  of  Beverwyck,  as 
Albany  was  then  known. 


33  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Van  Schoonhoven,  Evert  Van  Ness,  Daniel  Fort,  Cornelius  Van  Buren, 
Cornelius  Van  Ness,  Isaac  Ouderkirk,  Lavinus  Harmense,  Teunis 
Harmense,  Winant  Vandenburgh,  Roolif  Gerritse,  Hendrick  Roolifse, 
John  De  Voe,  Daniel  Van  Olinda,  Eldert  Ouderkirk  and  Cornelius 
Vandenburgh.  These  were  enrolled  as  residents  of  Half  Moon,  but  as 
the  name  Half  Moon  Point  was  then  applied  to  what  is  now  Waterford, 
and  possibly  adjacent  territory  of  inconsiderable  proportions  on  the 
north,  it  is  safe  to  assume  that  this  list  is  a  fairly  accurate  statement 
of  the  heads  of  families  in  Waterford  and  the  country  adjoining  it  on 
the  north  and  west  in  that  year. 

A  very  old  record  shows  that  on  June  6,  1677,  Jan  Jacobus  Van 
Noorstrant  purchased  from  the  widow  of  Goosen  Gerritse  Van  Schaick 
a  tract  of  land  "bounded  south  by  the  fourth  sprout  of  the  Mohawk, 
west  by  Roelef  Gerritse  Vandewerker'sland,  north  by  the  little  creek 
close  by  Roelef  Gerritse  Vandewerker's  house,  and  east  by  the  river, 
containing  about  seven  morgens  of  land."  The  limits  of  this  purchase 
are  very  nearly  identical  with  those  of  the  existing  corporation  of 
Waterford.  Going  back  still  a  little  farther,  November  23,  1669,. 
Goosen  Gerritse  Schoonhoven  or  Goosen  Gerritse  Van  Schaick  sold  a 
tract  of  land  in  Half  Moon  to  Philip  Pieter  Schuyler.  It  is  probable 
that  the  sale  was  made  by  Van  Schoonhoven,  as  he  and  Philip  Pieter 
Schuyler  had  received  permission  years  before  to  buy  from  the  Indians 
what  is  now  Waterford,  in  order  that  immigrants  from  Connecticut 
might  not  purchase  it  and  locate  there.  Van  Schoonhoven's  purchase 
undoubtedly  was  the  first  investment,  with  legal  authority,  of  land  on 
the  present  site  of  Waterford,  and,  furthermore,  the  evidence  tends  to 
show  that  he  possessed  practically  the  entire  town. 

The  next  permanent  settlement  at  that  point  of  which  any  authentic 
records  are  left  as  to  dates  and  names,  occurred  in  1784,  when  the  land 
embraced  in  the  site  of  the  village  of  Waterford  was  purchased  by 

Colonel  Jacobus  Van  Schoonhoven, Middlebrook,  Ezra  Hickok, 

Judge  White  and  several  other  persons,  most  of  whom  had  emigrated 
from  Connecticut  for  the  purpose  of  colonizing  the  fertile  country  at 
this  point  and  founding  a  village  at  what  they  believed  was  and  would 
remain  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Hudson  River.  There  is 
abundant  evidence,  however,  that  several  sturdy  pioneers  had  located 
here  prior  to  that  year,  for  Half  Moon  had  already  been  organized  as  a 
district  (in  1772)  and  such  commodities  as  the  whites,  but  not  the 
Indians,  needed  had  been  sent  to  that  point  by  the  merchants  of  Fort 


EARLY  SETTLEMENTS  33 

Orange.  Immediately  after  the  English  conquest  of  Canada  in  1760 
settlements  rapidly  extended  along  the  valleys  of  the  Hudson  and  the 
Mohawk,  and  even  some  distance  into  the  interior. 

The  first  settlement  in  Ballston  was  made  in  1763  by  Michael  and 
Nicholas  McDonald,  natives  of  Ireland,  who  had  been  enticed  on  board 
a  vessel  lying  in  the  Shannon,  brought  to  Philadelphia  and  sold  for  a 
term  of  years  to  pay  for  their  passage.  Their  wilderness  home  was 
located  near  the  west  bank  of  Ballston  Lake.  In  1770  Rev.  Eliphalet 
Ball,  with  his  three  sons,  John,  Stephen  and  Flamen,  and  several  mem- 
bers of  his  congregation,  removed  from  Bedford,  N.  Y.,  and  settled  in 
the  vicinity  of  Academy  Hill.  To  induce  him  to  locate  in  the  town 
and  establish  a  church  and  conduct  regular  services,  he  received  a  do- 
nation of  five  hundred  acres  of  land  from  the  proprietors  of  the  famous 
"Five  Mile  Square  "  tract.  Soon  after  Mr.  Ball's  arrival  large  acces- 
sions to  the  settlement  were  made  by  immigrants  from  New  England, 
New  Jersey,  Scotland  and  the  North  of  Ireland,  and  in  honor  of  Mr. 
Ball  they  named  the  locality  Ball's  Town. 

George  Scott,  grandfather  of  Hon.  George  G.  Scott,  and  great-grand- 
father of  James  L.  Scott  of  Ballston  Spa,  came  from  the  north  of  Ire- 
land and  settled  in  1774  in  Ballston.  His  wife  was  a  sister  of  General 
James  Gordon.  During  the  raid  of  1780  under  Colonel  Munroe  he  was 
struck  down  by  a  tomahawk  and  left  for  dead,  but  he  recovered.  James 
Scott,  his  son,  became  a  well-known  surveyor.  George  G.  Scott,  son 
of  James,  became  one  of  the  most  prominent  residents  of  the  town, 
which  he  served  as  supervisor  for  nineteen  consecutive  years. 

General  James  Gordon  was  the  most  conspicuous  among  the  pioneers 
of  his  day.  He  came  to  America  from  County  Antrim,  Ireland,  when 
a  youth  of  seventeen.  He  settled  in  the  town  of  Ballston  and  located 
on  the  farm  on  the  Middle  Line  road  now  owned  and  occupied  in  the 
summer  by  George  T.  and  Roland  W.  Smith.  So  important  a  part 
did  General  Gordon  take  in  the  early  history  of  Saratoga  county, 
that  the  following  brief  account  of  his  life,  containing  historical 
statements  of  general  interest,  is  appropriately  inserted  in  this  chap- 
ter. It  is  taken  from  a  work-  entitled:  "Family  Records  of  Theo- 
dore Parsons  Hall  and  Alexandrine  Louise  Godfrey,  of  '  Tannancour,' 
Grosse  Point,  near  Detroit,  Michigan,  including  brief  accounts  of  the 
St.  Auburn,  Scott-Gordon,  Irvine-Orr  and  Navarre-Macomb  families," 
collected  by  Theodore  Parsons  Hall  and  published  in  Detroit,  Mich., 
in  1892: 
3 


34  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Tames  Gordon,  as  a  child,  was  furnished  with  every  advantage  of  education ;  was 
a  fine  classical  scholar,  destined  for  a  profession ;  but  in  a  spirit  of  adventure  set  out 
for  America  in  1758,  when  a  young  man  of  but  nineteen  years  of  age.  He  had  a 
relative  in  America  named  John  Macomb,_  who,  with  his  sons,  was  largely  engaged 
in  the  Indian  and  Array  supply  trade,  having  stores  at  Albany,  Fort  Niagara  and 
Detroit.  John  Macomb  was  from  County  Antrim,  and  married  Jeanne  Gordon, 
niece  of  Alexander.  He  was  grandfather  of  Gen.  Alex.  Macomb,  commander  in- 
chief  U.  S.  A.  Gordon  became  a  partner  of  the  Macombs  and  later  of  their  young 
clerk,  John  Askin  of  Detroit,  a  member  of  one  of  the  old  Canadian  families.  .  .  . 
The  diary  of  Gen.  Gordon,  recording  his  adventures  in  his  various  journeys  up  the 
Mohawk  to  Oneida  lake,  thence  via  Oswego  by  canoe  to  Fort  Niagara,  and  thence 
by  canoe  to  Detroit,  is  of  unusual  interest.  .  .  .  Gordon  spent  the  winter  previous 
to  the  Pontiac  outbreak,  1763,  in  Detroit,  and  at  this  early  day,  thirteen  years  before 
the  Revolution,  he  traveled  on  horseback  through  the  forests  from  Detroit  to  Pitts- 
burg, thence  to  Philadelphia  and  New  York,  to  Albany. 

After  a  short  visit  to  his  old  home  in  Ireland  he  converted  his  estate  into  money, 
returned  in  1765  and  purchased  land  in  Saratoga,  a  district  of  Albany  county  (since 
the  town  of  Ballston),  and  erected  mills  there.  As  early  as  1708  Queen  Anje  had 
issued  a  patent  for  a  tract  five  miles  square  where  Ballston  now"  stands.  In  1763  a 
Scotch-Irish  element,  led  by  the  Macombs,  began  a  settlement  there.  In  1774 
Gordon,  having  induced  his  brother-in-law,  George  Scott,  with  his  family,  consisting 
of  his  wife,  his  daughters,  his  mother-in-law  and  her  sister,  also  his  own  sister,  to- 
gether with  a  number  of  their  Scotch-Irish  friends,  to  locate  there,  a  town  was  laid 
out,  to  which  they  invited  Rev.  Eliphalet  Ball,  previously  of  Bedford,  Westchester 
county,  N.  Y.,  who  established  a  church  there,  1775.  The  course  of  England  to- 
wards some  of  the  Scotch-Irish  in  Ulster  had  engendered  a  bitter  feeling,  which 
naturally  led  them  to  espouse  the  patriotic  cause  in  the  struggle  for  independence. 
After  providing  houses  for  themselves,  some  twenty-five  settlers,  male  and  female, 
on  September  22nd,  drew  up  a  covenant  and  founded  there  a  Scotch  Presbyterian 
Church.  Mr.  Ball  was  given  a  large  tract  of  land  (400  acres),  and  the  place  called 
Ballston  in  his  honor.  The  father  of  Mr.  Ball  and  Mary  Ball,  the  mother  of  Presi- 
dent George  Washington,  were  cousins.  .  .  .  James  Gorden  was  from  the  start  the 
leader  and  the  life  of  the  infant  colony.  He  had  married,  March  16th,  1775,  Mary 
Ball,  daughter  of  Rev.  Eliphalet  Ball.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  hostilities  in  1776,  he 
raised  a  regiment,  recruited  largely  in  Albany,  afterwards  Saratoga  county.  Near 
the  close  of  the  war  (1780)  he  was  taken  prisoner  in  an  Indian  raid  led  by  a  Tory 
named  McDonald,  and  after  the  war  closed  he  was  visited  at  his  home  by  President 
George  Washington,  Gov.  Clinton  and  other  leading  patriots.  He  participated  in  a 
number  of  engagements  in  that  vicinity,  and  was  present  at  Burgoyne's  surrender. 
While  a  prisoner  in  Canada  he  was  confined  in  the  Recollet  Convent,  afterwards 
paroled  for  a  time  at  Quebec,  then  escaped  to  Halifax,  and  was  finally  ransomed  by 
hisfriend,  James  EUice,  for  aheavy  sum  of  money.  .  .  .  Gordon  was  commissioned 
Brigadier-General  in  1786.  Was  a  member  of  the  Assembly  1777-8-9-80-4-6-7-8-9- 
90.  Senator,  1797-1804.  In  May,  1779,  he  was  elected  a  Representative  in  Congress 
over  Hon.  Jeremiah  Van  Rensselaer  of  Albany.  The  district  included  all  Western 
New  York.     On  the  organization  of  Saratoga  county  in  1791  he  was  appointed  Judge 


EARLY  SETTLEMENTS.  35 

of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  and  died  January  17th,  1810,  aged  71,  leaving  one 
child,  his  daughter.  Melinda  Gordon,  born  January  30th,  1777.' 

Epenetus  White,  from  Connecticut,  located  on  the  east  side  of  Balls- 
ton  Lake  about  the  time  General  Gordon  moved  to  Ballston,  possibly  a 
year  earlier.  His  son,  Epenetus  White,  jr. ,  settled  near  the  old  iron 
spring  in  Ballston  Spa  about  1800  and  engaged  in  merchandising  till 
1828,  when  he  built  the  old  red  mill  which  was  burned  in  1874. 

As  early  as  1770  Dr.  Elisha  Miller  removed  to  Ballston  from  West- 
chester county,  and  settled  on  the  east  side  of  the  lake,  a  short  distance 
from  the  outlet:  He  was  a  practicing  physician.  During  the  war  he 
removed  his  family  to  Schenectady,  but  returned  himself  to  attend  to 
his  patients,  frequently  in  the  face  of  grave  personal  danger.  He  was 
a  man  of  high  attainments,  and  lived  to  an  old  age. 

James,  William  and  Samuel  McCrea,  brothers,  also  settled  in  Balls- 
ton  before  the  war.  James  occupied  the  farm  now  owned  by  Henry 
Harrison,  two  and  a  half  miles  southwesterly  from  Ballston  Spa.  Will- 
iam occupied  the  Henry  Davis  farm  adjoining  it  on  the  south,  and 
Samuel  settled  on  the  McCarty  farm  north  of  James's  place,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  road.  Joseph  Morehouse,  and  Nathan  Raymond,  his  brother- 
in-law,  from  Connecticut,  settled  on  the  east  side  of  the  lake  before  the 
war.  Captain  Titus  Watson  also  settled  in  the  town  before  the  war, 
probably  as  early  as  1772.  He  served  in  the  war  as  lieutenant  and 
subsequently  as  captain.  His  home  was  located  on  the  east  side  of  the 
lake.  Edmund  Jennings  came  from  Connecticut  in  1775.  His  son, 
Joseph  Jennings,  resided  in  Ballston  Spa  for  many  years.  Zaccheus 
Scribner  located  on  the  east  side  of  the  lake  in  1770.  His  son  Thad- 
deus  served  in  the  Revolution,  and  afterwards  was  a  mail  carrier  for 
many  years.  Stephen  White,  a  nephew  of  Epenetus  White,  came  from 
Connecticut  before  the  Revolution  and  served  in  that  war.  Hezekiah 
Middlebrook,  also  from  Connecticut,  located  in  town  in  1772,  and  in  the 
following  year  removed  to  a  large  farm  in  the  southern  part  of  Milton. 
He  became  a  prominent,  wealthy  and  very  influential  resident  of  the 

1 "  General  Gordon,  perceiving  the  need  of  a  competent  surveyor  to  lay  out  the  new  territory 
being  rapidly  settled  after  the  close  of  the  war,  had  his  young  nephew,  James  Scott,  educated  in 
this  profession.  Many  of  the  most  important  surveys  in  Northern  New  York  were  made  by 
James  Scott,  and  his  services  as  engineer  utilized  in  a  number  of  public  works.  He  received 
from  the  Canadian  government  in  payment  of  surveys,  a  large  tract  of  land  near  the  present  city 
of  Toronto.  In  1809  he  married  Mary  Botsford  of  Derby,  Conn.  He  held  a  number  of  political 
offices,  was  master  in  chancery,  and  was  final  authority  on  all  questions  of  land  titles.  Then- 
only  child,  George  Gordon  Scott,  was  born  at  the  old  homestead  in  the  town  of  Ballston,  May  11, 
1811.  The  latter  afterwards  became  Judge  Scott,  of  Saratoga  county.  New  York." — Family  rec- 
ords of  the  Scott-Gordon  Family.    By  Theodore  Parsons  Hall,  Detroit,  Mich.,  1892. 


36  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

latter  town.  John  Taylor,  who  is  believed  to  have  been  the  father  of 
Hon.  John  W.  Taylor,  at  one  time  speaker  of  the  House  of  Represent- 
atives, owned  a  farm  in  Ballston  before  the  Revolution,  but  the  home- 
stead stood  just  over  the  Charlton  line.  About  1770  Ebenezer  Sprague 
came  from  Connecticut  and  located  on  the  Middle  Line  road,  a  short 
distance  north  of  the  farm  subsequently  owned  by  General  Gordon. 
His  property  afterward  passed  into  the  hands  of  James  Thompson,  and 
is  now  occupied  by  Miss  Rhoda  Thompson.  Beriah  Palmer,  who  came 
from  Connecticut  during  the  early  days  of  the  war,  or  probably  a  year 
or  so  prior  thereto,  and. settled  on  the  farm  recently  owned  by  the  late 
Hon.  S.  W.  Buell,  near  Burnt  Hills,  became  a  prominent  man  in  his 
community,  serving  for  many, years  as  magistrate,  supervisor  and  town 
clerk.  He  was  widely  known  as  Judge  Palmer.  Others  who  came 
prior  to  or  during  the  early  days  of  the  Revolution,  were  Uriah  Bene- 
dict, from  Connecticut,  who  located  on  the  East  Line  road ;  Nathaniel 
Weed,  John  Cable,  John  Young,  Robert  Speir,  grandfather  of  the  sher- 
iff bearing  the  same  name;  William  Barnes,  Sunderland  Sears,  Isaac 
Howe,  Jabez  Hubbell,  Isaac  Stow  and  the  Davis  family.  The  latter 
came  about  1775  and  located  on  the  Middle  Line  road  just  north  of 
Ballston  Centre. 

Settlements  were  also  made  in  Wilton  at  an  early  date.  As  early  as 
1764  William  and  Samuel  Brisbin,  brothers,  located  in  the  limits  of  the 
present  town,  then  known  as  Palmertown.  They  first  located  on  the 
south  branch  of  Snoek  Kill,  which  subsequently  became  the  Laing 
neighborhood.  They  made  clearings  and  built  a  saw  mill,  but  when 
the  Revolution  began  they  abandoned  their  homes  and  took  up  arms 
for  the  defense  of  the  colonies.  Rowland  Perry,  with  his  wife  and 
eight  children,  removed  from  Dutchess  county  to  Wilton  in  1770. 
They  entered  the  wilderness  by  way  of  a  road  cut  by  the  Jessup  family, 
early  settlers  of  Luzerne,  from  Fort  Miller,  on  the  Hudson,  by  way  of 
what  are  now  Emerson's  Corners  and  Wiltonville.  The  sons  of  this 
family  bore  the  names  of  Samuel,  John,  Benjamin,  Absalom,  Roswell, 
Artemas,  Rowland  and  Joseph.  The  McGregor  family,  after  whom 
Mount  McGregor  is  named,  consisting  of  four  brothers — James,  Will- 
iam, John  and  Alexander,  sons  of  John  McGregor  of  Thorn  Hill, 
Scotland — immigrated  to  New  York  in  1781,  and  in  1787  James  and 
William  settled  near  the  site  of  Wiltonville. 

Elijah  Parks  was  probably  the  earliest  settler  in  Moreau.  He  came 
from  Salisbury,  Conn.,  in  1766,  and  with  his  sons  purchased  about 


EARLY  SETTLEMENTS.  37 

eight  hundred  acres  of  land  at  South  Glens  Falls.  He  erected  the 
dwelling  house  afterwards  known  as  Parks's  Castle,  and  a  saw  mill 
near  the  falls.  His  sons  resided  with  or  near  him,  and  a  son-in-law, 
Lewis  Brown,  occupied  a  double  log  house  above  the  castle.  Tradi- 
tion says  that  when  the  war  of  the  Revolution  broke  out  there  were 
twelve  families  living  between  Fort  Miller  and  Fort  Edward. 

Among  these  pioneers  was  Jacob  Bitely  and  David  Jones.  The  lat- 
ter, who  came  from  Leamington,  N.  J.,  had  a  wife  and  four  sons,  one 
of  whom.  Colonel  David  Jones,  served  under  General  Burgoyne.  He 
was  engaged  to  marry  Jeanie  McCrea,  who  was  killed  while  being  con- 
veyed from  the  home  of  Mrs.  McNeil  to  the  British  camp,  as  described 
in  another  chapter.  At  the  close  of  the  war  the  Jones  farm  was  sold 
to  General  Rogers,  who  took  possession  in  1783.  The  Hilton  family 
located  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town,  and  Captaie  Tuttle,  of  whom 
very  little  is  known,  lived  at  the  mouth  of  Snoek  Kill. 

The  first  record  we  have  of  the  erection  of  any  building  in  the  town 
of  Saratoga  is  the  story  of  the  convention  held  at  Albany  September  4, 
1689,  when  a  resolution  was  passed  authorizing  the  building  of  a  stock- 
aded fort  "  about  the  house  of  Bartel  Vroman  at  Sarachtoge,  and  twelve 
men  raised  out  of  the  two  companies  of  the  city  and  two  companies  of 
the  county,  to  lie  there  upon  pay,  who  are  to  have  twelvepence  a  day, 
besides  provisions,  and  some  Indians  of  Skachkook  '  to  be  there  with 
them,  to  go  out  as  scouts  in  that  part  of  the  county."  Bartel  Vroman 
doubtless  was  the  pioneer  settler  of  Old  Saratoga. 

While  the  exact  date  is  uncertain,  it  is  probable  that  the  mills  and 
other  buildings  erected  by  representatives  of  the  famous  Schuyler  fam- 
ily of  Albany  on  the  south  side  of  Fish  creek  stood  there  as  early  as 
1709.  As  this  was  twenty  years  subsequent  to  the  year  when  Bartel 
Vroman's  house  is  mentioned  in  the  record  of  the  Albany  convention 
referred  to,  it  is  not  improbable  that  other  settlements  may  have  been 
made  in  that  locality  between  the  years  1689  and  1709.  This  opinion 
is  strengthened  by  the  knowledge  that  Colonel  Peter  Schuyler '  deemed 
it  advisable  to  build  a  stockaded  fort  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  in 
1709.  This  fort  was  located  on  a  high  bluff  about  a  hundred  rods  "be- 
low the  mouth  of  the  Batten  Kill,  upon  which  General  Fellows  placed 
his  cannon  before  Burgoyne's  surrender.     It  stood  there  for  nearly 

'  These  were  the  Schaghtiooke  Indians,  who  occupied  the  territory  about  the  mouth  o£  Hoo- 
sic^k  river,  in  Rensselaer  and  Washington  counties. 

'  Colonel  Schuyler  was  then  in  the  service  of  the  government  in  command  of  the  advance 
guard  of  the  second  great  Army  of  Northern  Invasion, 


38  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

forty  years,  but  in  1747  it  was  abandoned  and  burned  by  the  retiring 
English  troops.  If  the  Schuylers  had  mills  at  the  point  mentioned, 
somebody  must  have  operated  them,  and  consequently  there  must  have 
been  residences  near  by ;  but  who  these  persons  were  probably  never 
will  be  known. 

The  first  village  in  the  town  of  Saratoga  of  which  any  mention  is 
made  in  history  was  called  Saratoga,  and  was  built  about  the  Schuyler 
mills.  In  1745  it  contained  about  thirty  families,  who  in  that  year  were 
attacked  by  the  French  and  Indians,  and  either  killed,  captured  or 
driven  away.  The  dwellings  in  the  village  were  then  laid  in  ashes. 
The  exact  date  of  the  destruction  of  this  first  Saratoga  is  given  as  No- 
vember 17,  1745,  but  no  detail's  of  the  bloody  event  are  extant.  Col- 
onel Peter  Schuyler  was  killed  in  his  own  home,  while  fighting  to  de- 
fend it. 

It  was  not  until  after  the  peace  of  1763  between  England  and  France, 
when  fear  of  massacre  and  pillage  was  in  a  measure  relieved,  that 
permanent  settlements  were  made  in  Saratoga.  Soon  after  the  French 
were  driven  out  and  their  Indian  allies  had  stopped  their  depredations, 
the  Schuyler  mansion  and  mills  were  rebuilt  by  Philip  Schuyler,  who 
afterward  commanded  the  northern  division  of  the  patriot  army  in  the 
war  of  the  Revolution  Then  followed  the  immigration  of  a  number 
of  industrious,  intelligent  families,  who  came  to  work  in  the  mills  or  to 
engage  in  farming  or  merchandising.  About  1764  Abram  Marshall 
came  from  Yorkshire,  England,  settling  on  the  farm  since  known  as 
the  Marshall  place.  Thomas  Jordan,  his  son-in-law,  was  also  an  early 
settler.  Thomas  Smith  came  from  Dutchess  county  in  1770  and  began 
the  cultivation  of  an  extensive  farm.  Hezekiah  Dunham  was  another 
who  located  there  before  the  Revolutionary  war,  in  which  he  served. 
Joseph  Welch  came  about  1765,  served  as  a  lieutenant  in  the  American 
army,  was  taken  prisoner  and  carried  to  Canada,  where  he  was  com- 
pelled to  remain  three  years.  John  Strover  bought  a  farm  about  1770, 
but  doubtless  did  not  occupy  it  until  the  close  of  the  war,  in  which  he 
served  with  distinction  as  a  scout.  James  I.  Brisbin  was  a  very  early 
inhabitant,  but  whether  he  came  before  the  war  or  not  is  unknown. 
Isaac  Leggett  and  Gabriel  Leggett  settled  in  Stillwater,  but  their  farm 
extended  into  Saratoga.  They  were  founders  of  the  Society  of  Friends 
here,  as  was  also  Tibbett  Soule  and  George  Davis,  ante- Revolutionary 
inhabitants.  Sherman  Patterson  settled  before  the  war  in  the  north 
part  of  what  is  now  the  village  of  Schuylerville.     Colonel  Van  Veghten 


EARLY  SETTLEMENTS.  39 

who  located  at  Coveville  about  1773  or  1773,  was  a  man  of  considerable 
local  prominence.  Conrad  Cramer  came  as  early  as  1763.  John  Woe- 
man,  Swart,  William  Green,  and  three  brothers  named   Denney 

lived  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town  when  the  war  began. 

The  most  distinguished  of  all  the  families  having  interests  in  the 
town  of  Saratoga  prior  to  the  Revolution  were  the  Schuylers,  in  whose 
honor  the  historic  village  of  Schuylerville  was  named.  An  uncle  of 
General  Philip  Schuyler  settled  at  the  mouth  of  Fish  Kill  quite  early  in 
the  eighteenth  century  and  erected  some  mills.  Some  time  prior  to 
1767  General  Schuyler  came  into  possession  of  the  estate.  On  his 
death  it  fell  to  his  brother  John,  from  whom  it  passed  to  the  latter's 
son  Philip,  a  nephew  of  the  general.  The  latter  became  financially 
involved  and  the  mansion,  with  the  large  farm  surrounding  it,  was  sold 
by  his  assignee  to  Colonel  George  Strover,  a  former  agent  of  Schuyler's, 
who  subsequently  became  active  in  raising  funds  for  the  Saratoga  battle 
monument.  The  original  Schuyler  was  killed  at  the  destruction  of  the 
old  village  of  Saratoga  November  38,  1745.  General  Schuyler  used 
the  mansion  he  had  inherited  as  a  summer  residence,  he  and  his  family 
spending  the  winter  months  at  Albany. 

Settlements  were  made  in  Stillwater  at  a  very  early  date,  probably 
following  closely  upon  those  made  at  Half  Moon  Point.  The  Vanden- 
burgh  family  located  as  early  as  1733  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  river, 
above  the  falls,  and  it  is  but  reasonable  to  suppose  that  settlements 
occurred  on  the  west  side  of  the  Hudson,  in  Saratoga  county,  soon 
after  that  date,  if  not  prior  thereto.  Aside  from  the  Schuyler  mills  in 
Saratoga  and  the  village  destroyed  there  in  1745,  the  earliest  settle- 
ments on  the  west  side  of  the  river  north  of  Half  Moon  Point  occurred 
in  Stillwater.  Dates  of  the  earliest  habitations  are  lacking.  As  early 
as  1764  George  Palmer  bought  land  within  the  limits  of  the  town.  He 
also  bought  mills  already  built  there,  which  were  then  owned  by  Isaac 
Mann.  These  mills  had  been  operatfed  several  years,  and  a  consider- 
able colony  had  grown  up  about  them,  but  whether  they  had  been 
built  five,  ten,  fifteen  or  even  twenty  years  previous  to  their  sale  to 
Palmer  is  not  known.  As  far  as  can  be  learnSd,  therefore,  Isaac  Mann 
was  the  first  white  man  to  build  a  home  and  remain  for  any  length  of 
time  in  Stillwater.     When  he  settled  there  cannot  be  told. 

In  1763  an  entire  church,  numbering  one  hundred  and  one  members, 
voted  unanimously  to  remove  to  Stillwater,  and  the  majority  of  them 
followed  their  resolution  and  did  so.     Thus  it  is  seen  that  Stillwater 


40  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

village  contained  a  considerable  number  of  inhabitants  at  least  a  dozen 
years  before  the  beginning  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  male  mem- 
bers of  the  congregation  who  signed  the  agreement  to  remove  to  Still- 
water were:  Henry  Stevens,  Gideon  Lawrence,  Zebulon  Stevens,  Uriah 
Stevens,  Robert  Campbell,  George  Palmer,  Lemuel  Taylor,  Eber 
Andrews,  Benjamin  Green,  Ephraim  Andrews,  Ebenezer  Wolcott, 
Ephraim  Andrews,  jr.,  John  Frisbie,  Solomon  Campbell,  Robert  Camp- 
bell, jr.,  Jonathan  Morey  (or  Mowry),  Titus  Andrews,  John  Fellows, 
William  Patrick,  Daniel  Campbell,  Cyprian  Watson,  Edward  Firel, 
Joel  Frisby,  Reuben  Wright,  Israel  Rose,  Isaiah  Keeler,  Amariah 
Plumb,  Phineas  Stephens,  Jesse  Howard,  Robert  Patrick,  Joseph 
Stevens,  Ebenezer  Andrus  and  Benjamin  Munger.  Whether  all  these 
persons  came  or  not  is  not  certain.  This  church,  now  the  Congrega- 
tional church  of  Stillwater,  for  many  years  known  as  "the  church  at 
the  yellow  meeting-house, "  was  the  pioneer  religious  society  of  Saratoga 
county. 

John  Neilson,  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  came  to  Stillwater  in  1773,  at 
the  age  of  nineteen  years,  determined  to  make  a  home  here  for  himself. 
Three  years  later,  after  having  worked  in  the  meantime  for  a  man 
named  Quitterfield,  living  near  Bemus  Heights,  he  purchased  a  farm 
and  married  the  daughter  of  his  former  employer.  He  became  wealthy, 
and  his  sons  and  grandsons  men  of  influence  in  the  county. 

Harmanus  Schuyler  settled  in  Stillwater  about  1770  and  engaged  in 
the  milling  business.  His  mill  was  on  the  Hudson,  a  short  distance 
below  the  present  village,  and  consisted  of  a  flour  and  grist  mill,  a  saw 
mill  and  a  carding  and  fulling  mill.  He  had  a  family  of  five  sons  and 
two  daughters.  Before  coming  to  Stillwater  he  had  been  in  business 
in  Albany  for  several  years.  In  that  city  he  had  served  as  high  sheriff 
from  1761  to  1770.  He  served  as  assistant  deputy  quartermaster- 
general  under  General  Philip  Schuyler,  who  was  a  relative  and  had 
charge  of  the  construction  of  the  boats  used  on  Lake  George.  After 
the  war  he  returned  to  his  farm  and  mills  at  Stillwater,  where  he  died 
September  1,  1796. 

John  Bemus  kept  a  tavern  at  the  southern  end  of  the  flats  that  formed 
the  strategic  points  in  the  battles  of  Saratoga.  He  was  located  there 
when  Burgoyne  began  his  invasion,  and  according  to  early  historians 
he  settled  there  at  least  as  early  as  1762.  Bemus  Heights  takes  its 
name  from  John  Bemus. 

Ezekiel  Ensign  settled  above  the  creek  at  Wilbur's  Basin  about  1773 


EARLY  SETTLEMENTS.  41 

or  1773,  and  owned  a  farm  a  mile  square.  When  the  news  of  Bur- 
goyne's  approach  came  he  removed  his  family  to  Albany,  and  upon  his 
return  he  found  his  farm  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy  and  his  residence 
in  use  as  a  British  hospital.  It  is  said  several  wounded  officers  in  Bur- 
goyne's  command  died  there  and  were  buried  in  the  rear  of  the  house. 

Major  Ezra  Buell,  who  was  one  of  the  most  useful  and  daring  guides 
who  served  in  the  patriot  army,  came  to  Stillwater  a  few  years  before 
the  war.  He  was  a  bachelor  and  died  as  such.  He  was  the  first  crier 
of  the  county  court.  His  death  occurred  in  1838,  at  the  age  of  ninety 
years.  John  McCarty  was  another  early  pioneer,  occupying  a  large 
farm  at  Wilbur's  Basin  which  he  purchased  about  seven  or  eight  years 
before  the  war.  Evert  Vandenburgh  owned  one  of  the  richest  farms 
in  the  town  prior  to  the  war,  His  buildings  were  burned  by  the  Brit- 
ish in  1777.  Jeremiah  Hart  came  from  Connecticut  about  1775  and 
settled  on  the  east  side  of  Saratoga  lake.  In  1777  he  served  as  a  scout 
for  the  American  army.  George  Coulter  was  also  living  near  the  fa- 
mous "  Freeman's  farm  "  when  the  war  broke  out. 

Following  closely  upon  the  settlement  of  Half  Moon  Point'  came  the 
penetration  into  the  wilderness  to  the  north  along  the  banlcs  of  the 
Hudson,  the  section  now  embraced  in  the  town  of  Halfmoon.  We 
have  positive  information  from  the  old  Albany  records  that  several 
families,  mostly  Dutch  settlers,  lived  there  before  1680,  but  how  many 
years  before  that  date  they  removed  there  is  largely  a  matter  of  con- 
jecture. In  1718  Killiaen  Vandenburgh  built  a  substantial  stone  house' 
about  two  miles  north  of  Crescent,  near  the  centre  of  the  town.  It 
was  the  most  substantial  house  in  that  locality  for  many  years.  In 
1714  the  district  of  Half  Moon,  which  included  Waterford,  Halfmoon 
and  Clifton  Park,  contained  one  hundred  and  one  inhabitants,  mostly 
Dutch  settlers.  Oldert  Ouderkirk,  Daniel  Fort  and  Joshua  Taylor 
lived  in  the  town  prior  to  1763.  The  year  before  a  saw  mill  had  been 
erected  on  Steena  Kill,  near  Crescent.  The  old  Leland  farm  was  oc- 
cupied in  1748  by  a  family  who  were  massacred  by  a  party  of  French 
and  Indians  in  1748.  The  barn  on  the  place  is  known  to  have  been 
erected  in  1737.  John  Plynn,  an  Irishman,  settled  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  town  in  1753  or  1753  and  kept  a  tavern  until  the  beginning  of 
the  Revolutionary  war,  when  he  removed  to  Albany.     James  Deyoe' 

*  The  locality  referred  to  in  this  chapter  as  Half  Moon  Point  is  now  the  town  of  Waterford. 

2  In  later  years  this  venerable  residence  became  known  as  the  Dunsbach  house,  having  fallen 
into  the  possession  of  the  Dunsbach  family. 

3  Mr.  Deyoe  lived  to  be  103  years  of  age.    His  wife  attained  the  age  of  105  years. 


43  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

came  from  Tarrytown  about  1770  and  settled  about  two  miles  east  of 
Mechanicville.  Timothy  Woodin  came  from  Putnam  county  in  1768 
and  located  about  two  miles  north  of  Crescent.  Benjamin  Rosekrans 
was  another  early  settler.     Jacob  Wilsey,  George  Ellsworth,  Richard 

Burtis,  William  Tripp,  Swart,   Joseph   Reynolds  and  Ephraira 

Dunham  all  lived  within  the  limits  of  the  town  prior  to  1776.  George 
Ellsworth  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  grandfather  of  Captain 
Ephraim  D.  Ellsworth  and  great-grandfather  of  Colonel  Ephraim  Elmer 
Ellsworth,  whose  name  occupies  such  a  prominent  position  in  the  mili- 
tary history  of  Saratoga  county.  George  Ellsworth's  sons  were  named 
William,  Charles,  James  and  George.  The  latter  married  the  daughter 
of  Joseph  Reynolds,  the  pioneer,  and  settled  on  the  homestead.  His 
son,  Ephraim  D.,  married  Phoebe  Denton  and  settled  in  Malta,  where 
Ephraim  Elmer  Ellsworth  was  born. 

In  the  spring  of  1771  Dirck  Schouten,  who  had  been  cultivating  a 
small  tract  of  land  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  a  short  distance  above 
Waterford,  having  heard  of  the  mineral  spring  in  the  central  part  of 
the  county  (High  Rock  Spring),  and  doubtless  appreciating  the  fact 
that  this  spot  ultimately  would  be  selected  as  a  site  for  colonization, 
abandoned  his  rude  home  above  Half  Moon  Point  and  started  on  his 
journey  through  the  wilderness  to  the  north.  Oh  the  bluif  a  short  dis- 
tance west  of  the  spring  he  cleared  a  small  tract  of  land,  constructed  a 
rude  cabin  and  began  the  cultivation  of  the  land.  For  a  time  all  went 
well,  but  soon  he  began  to  be  annoyed  by,  or  himself  annoyed,  his  In- 
dian neighbors,  in  the  summer  of  1773  he  quarreled  with  them,  and 
they  finally  drove  him  from  his  home.  He  never  returned.  He  was 
the  first  inhabitant  of  the  town  of  Saratoga  Springs,  and  his  only  white 
guest  during  his  two  years'  residence  there  was  a  lad  named  Will- 
iam Bousman,  son  of  a  Dutch  farmer  residing  near  the  south  end  of  Sara- 
toga lake,  who  had  accompanied  Schouten  for  the  purpose  of  helping 
the  latter  build  his  cabin  and  cultivate  his  new  farm. 

In  the  summer  of  1774  John  Arnold,  a  young  adventurer  from  Rhode 
Island,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  young  children,  traveled  to  the 
springs,  took  possession  of  Schouten's  deserted  cabin  and  opened  a  rude 
tavern  for  the  accommodation  of  visitors  to  the  springs,  who  were  be- 
coming quite  numerous  in  the  summer  time.  He  brought  with  him 
some  spirituous  liquors,  and  other  wares  which  he  deemed  suitable  for 
the  Indian  trade,  and  found  the  savages  good  customers.  The  enemies 
were  friendly,  but  he  found  many  dangerous  neighbors  in  the  thick 


EARLY  SETTLEMENTS.  43 

colony  of  rattlesnakes'  which  infested  the  hillside.  Arnold  remained 
at  the  springs  two  summers,  returning  to  the  Hudson  valley,  as  did 
Schouten,  in  the  winter  season.  He  was  succeeded  in  1776  by  Samuel 
Norton,  who  remained  throughout  the  entire  year,  thus  becoming  the 
first  permanent  settler  of  Saratoga  Springs.  He  died  before  the  close 
of  the  war. 

Settlements  were  made  in  Malta,  near  Round  Lake,  several  years 
before  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  Early  histories 
state  that  the  first  settlers  were  two  men  named  Drummond  and  Mc- 
Kelpin,  "who  came  before  the  Revolution  and  located  west  of  the 
lake."  These  men  were  suspected  of  being  Tories  and  were  driven 
from  the  county.  This  being  the  case,  it  may  be  inferred  that  the 
town  contained  other  inhabitants,  patriots,  to  whom  the  presence  of  the 
suspected  newcomers  was  unwelcome.  It  is  possible  that  John  Hunter 
and  Ashbel  Andrews  and  their  families  were  here  when  Drummond 
and  McKelpin  arrived.  Hunter  came  with  the  Connecticut  colony  to 
Stillwater  in  1763  or  1764  and  built  a  home  near  the  lake.  Robert 
Hunter,  probably  a  relative,  located  here  about  the  same  time  and 
cultivated  a  large  farm.  Michael  Dunning,  with  a  family  of  six  sons 
and  three  daughters,  located  about  1773  on  land  now  occupied  by  the 
hamlet  of  Dunning  Street,  nearly  three  miles  north  of  Round  Lake. 
He  owned  a  large  farm,  and  employed  several  hands  to  help  him 
operate  it.  William  Marvin  secured  a  deed  to  land  in  Malta  in  1761, 
but  the  records  do  not  show  the  time  he  removed  to  the  town  to  occupy 
his  possessions.  Samuel  Smith  came  from  Norwalk,  Conn.,  and  settled 
near  East  Line  some  time  before  the  Revolution.  John  Rhoades, 
Jehial  Parks  and  Timothy  Shipman  also  lived  here  before  the  war. 

Northumberland's  earliest  pioneers  are  believed  to  have  been  James 
Brisbin  and  Hugh  Munroe,  both  of  whom  came  in  1765.  The  former, 
a  native  of  Scotland,  settled  about  a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  Fort 
Miller,  not  far  from  Bacon  Hill.  His  two  sons,  Samuel  and  William, 
located  about  the  same  time  in  Wilton.  Munroe  took  up  his  abode  at 
Gansevoort,  where  he  built  a  residence  and  a  saw  mill  on  Snoek  Kill. 
He  was  a  Tory,  and  was  compelled  to  flee  to  Canada  at  the  outbreak 
of  the  Revolution.  His  property  was  confiscated  by  the  patriots  and 
his  mill  was  destroyed.  Mr.  Graham  settled  in  the  same  neighborhood 
before  the  war,  but  the  year  of  his  coming  is  unknown.     He  erected  a 

1  These  reptiles  were  so  numerous  that  visitors  frequently  had  to  hang  their  beds  from  the 
limbs  of  the  trees  to  avoid  them. 


44  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

substantial  residence,  which  was  burned  by"  the  advance  wing  of  Bur- 
goyne's  army  during  his  invasion  of  New  York  in  the  summer  of  1777. 
John  Mahawny  (sometimes  writtAi  Mahoney)  removed  to  the  town 
about  1769  or  1770.  Archibald  McNeil  settled  on  the  site  of  the 
village  of  Northumberland  prior  to  the  war.  He  was  a  wealthy  retired 
gentleman  from  Boston  and  lived  in  elegant  style.  The  Vanderwerker 
family  also  came  before  the  war  and  lived  about  two  miles  above  the 
village  of  Northumberland.  Isaac  B.  Payne  was  another  colonist  who 
settled  before  the  war  nearly  opposite  the  mouth  of  Moses  Kill. 
Stephen  and  Nathan  Payne  lived  near  him.  In  1773  Wynant  Vanden- 
burgh,  John  Vandenburg  and  Cornelius  Vandenburg,  brothers,  and 
Peter  Winney,  their  brother-in-law,  bought  sixteen  hundred  acres  of 
land,  with  a  saw  mill  and  grist  mill  which  had  been  constructed  before 
their  arrival.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  they  occupied  their  lands  with 
their  families.  The  McCrea  family,  of  which  the  historic  Jane  McCrea 
was  a  member,  settled  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  near  the  Payne  farm, 
about  1772  or  1773. 

The  earliest  inhabitants  of  Charlton  of  whom  there  is  any  definite 
record  was  Joseph  Gonzalez,  who  cleared  a  farm  in  the  southwestern 
part  of  the  town  in  1770.  Other  families  were  located  near  his  home, 
but  their  names  are  not  known.  He  occupied  the  large  farm  which 
came  into  the  possession  of  Myndert  Wemple  at  the  close  of  the  war  of 
the  Revolution.  Three  years  later  a  number  of  Scotch-Irish  families, 
people  of  intelligence  and  education,  who  had  left  Great  Britain  on 
account  of  religious  oppression,  sailed  for  New  York.  From  that  city 
they  sent  one  of  their  number,  John  Cavert,  to  select  a  location  for  the 
little  colony  they  proposed  to  found.  Cavert  explored  the  southern 
part  of  the  county  and  finally  selected  a  location  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  town,  near  the'Ballston  line.  He  returned  to  New  York,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1774  the  little  colony — which  meantime  had  located  tem- 
porarily in  New  Jersey — prepared  to  occupy  the  new  home  he  had 
selected.  One  of  the  first  to  arrive  was  Thomas  Sweetman  and  his 
family  from  Freehold,  N.  J.  He  purchased  one  hundred  and  forty- five 
acres,  a  part  of  the  Kayaderosseras  Patent,  his  deed  bearing  date  of 
July  3,  1774."  He  was  accompanied  by  his  brother-in-law,  David  Max- 
well, who  remained  a  short  time,  then  returned  to  New  Jersey,  bring- 
ing his  family  back  to  Charlton  the  following  spring.     He  was  accom- 

'  This  was  the  first  deed  recorded  in  the  Saratoga  county  clerk's  office  when  the  county  was 
formed. 


EARLY  SETTLEMENTS.  45 

panied  by  John  Cavert,  John  Taylor,  Joseph  La  Rue,  James  Valentine, 
William  Chambers,  John  McKnight  and  several  others,  most  of  whom 
brought  families  with  them.  All  laid  out  large  farms  and  became  suc- 
cessful tillers  of  the  soil.  Thomas  Brown  and  William  Clarke  also 
located  in  the  town  in  ante-Revolutionary  times. 

The  first  permanent  settlement  in  Galway  was  made  by  Scotch  im- 
migrants in  the  fall  of  1774.  These  men  were  John  McHarg,  William 
Kelly,  John  Major  and  James  Major.  William  Kelly  and  his  wife,  a 
thrifty  and  hard-working  couple,  built  a  home  about  a  mile  south  of 
Galway  village.  Their  daughter  Elizabeth,  born  November  1,  1774,  ^ 
was  the  first  white  child  born  in  the  town.  The  Major  brothers  located 
a  short  distance  south  of  Kelly.  James  Kelly  was  killed  by  a  tree  he 
was  felling  September  11,  1776,  and  his  death  was  the  first  in  the  town. 
The  first  colonists  were  soon  followed  by  others,  who  included  John 
McClelland,  Joseph  Newland,  John  McKindley,  Moses  McKindley, 
William  McCartney  and  others.  John  McClelland  reached  Galway 
early  in  the  winter  of  1774  and  established  a  home  on  the  first  cross 
roads  south  of  Galway  village.  In  1780  he  started  the  first  store  in  the 
town  and  became  a  prosperous  merchant.  These  were  all  the  colonists 
of  ante- Revolutionary  times  in  the  town  of  Galway  of  whom  there  is  a 
definite  record. 

As  far  as^:an  be  learned  the  town  of  Edinburgh  contained  no  white 
inhabitants  prior  to  the  Revolution.  Its  location  several  miles  further 
north,  into  the  wilderness,  than  the  other  towns  referred  to  and  its 
comparative  inaccessibility  account  for  the  lateness  of  its  settlement  in 
a  large  measure.  Sir  William  Johnson  had  established  a  hunting  and 
fishing  resort  at  Fish  House,  a  mile  or  so  west  of  the  bounds  of  the 
town,  at  a  picturesque  bend  ia  the  Sacaadaga  river,  in  Fulton  county, 
and  several  whites  had  settled  there.  It  is  possible  one  or  more  fam- 
ilies may  have  found  homes  just  over  the  line  in  the  town  of  Edinburgh, 
but  whether  this  is  so  or  not  will  never  be  known.  Godfrey  STiew,  a 
German  lieutenant  of  Johnson's,  lived  near  Fish  House,  but  probably 
in  Fulton  county. 

Corinth  was  first  settled  at  Jessup's  Landing  and  near  Mount  Mc- 
Gregor, but  in  all  probability  not  until  the  first  year  of  or  one  or  two 
years  prior  to  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution.  Ambrose  Clothier 
located  near  the  western  side  of  Mount  McGregor,  in  the  southeastern 
part  of  the  town  in  1775.  A  short  time  later  Samuel  Eggleston  located 
near  the  Eggleston  homestead.  It  is  not  known  if  any  others  helped 
colonize  the  town  before  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  in  1775. 


46  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Clifton  Park,  being  located  near  the  old  city  of  Schenectady,  was 
settled  within  a  few  years  after  the  founding  of  that  city.  Seven  years 
after  Arendt  Van  Curler  and  his  associates  had  established  a  colony  at 
"the  great  flats  of  the  Mohawk,"  on  March  4,  1669,  Jan  Verbeck, 
Philip  Peter  Schuyler  and  Peter  Van  Olinda  purchased  property  form- 
ing a  part  of  the  Niskayuna  Patent.  October  31,  1677,  Claes  Janse 
Van  Boeckhoven  and  Ryck  Claes  Van  Vranken  also  purchased  of  Har- 
man  Vedder  and  Barent  Ryndertse  Smit  land  in  the  same  patent  lying 
within  the  limits  of  what  is  now  the  town  of  Charlton.  Their  pioneer 
homes  were  located  near  Vischer's  Ferry.  Even  before  this  day  it  is 
believed  that  more  than  one  white  settlement  existed  in  the  town,  for 
the  adjoining  locality  of  Half  Moon  Point,  the  land  across  the  river  in 
Albany  county,  and  the  adjacent  territory  in  Schenectady  county,  all 
contained  improved  farms  and  substantial  dwellings.  This  belief  is 
strengthened  by  the  knowledge  that  the  soil  of  Clifton  Park  was  as 
fertile  and  easy  of  cultivation  as  any  in  that  section.  But  names  and 
dates  cannot  be  verified  and  future  generations  will  never  know  the 
full  story  of  the  earliest  development  of  the  town. 

The  census  of  Albany  county  taken  in  1723  contains  the  names  of 
the  following  residents  of  Nestigione,  or  Niskayuna,  most  if  not  all  of 
whom  lived  within  the  limits  of  the  town:  JohnQuacumbus,  John 
Ffort,  Jacob  Pearse,  Derrick  Brat,  Maes  Rycksen,  Evert  Rycksen, 
Gerrit  Rycksen,  Nicholas  Van  Vranken,  Lapion  Canfort,  Cornelius 
Christianse,  E14ert  Timonze,  John  Quackenboss,  jr.,  Peter  Ouderkirk, 
Jacob  Cluit,  John  Cluit,  Frederick  Cluit,  Samxiel  Cruger,  Derrick 
Takelsen,  Mattias  Boose  Snor,  and  Johannis  Christianse.  Of  these 
Quacumbus  and  Quackenboss  probably  were  members  of  the  same 
family,  the  progenitors  of  the  Quackenbush  family  of  to-day.  The 
Clutes  of  Charlton  are  said  to  have  descended  from  the  Cluits  of 
Nestigione.  The  name  of  Rycksen  is  said  to  have  been  another  form 
for  the  name  of  Van  Vranken. 

Andries  Van  Vranken  lived  many  years  before  the  Revolution  at 
Fort's  Ferry.  His  son,  Garrett  Van  Vranken,  was  born  there  in  1760. 
Fully  quarter  of  a  century  before  the  Revolution  the  families   of  John 

Smith,  Davison, Thollheimer,  Nicholas  Vandenburgh,  Abram 

and  Jacob  Volwetder  were  residents  of  the  southern  part  of  the  town. 
Eldert  Vischer  was  the  first  of  the  Vischer  family  in  the  town.  His 
brother,  Nanning  Vischer,  also  lived  here.  John  Vischer  was  a  justice 
of  the  peace  in  1770. 


THE  REVOLUTION.  47 

The  most  reliable  authorities  state  that  the  pioneers  of  the  town  of 
Milton  were  David  Wood  and  his  sons,  Stephen,  Benjamin,  Elijah, 
Nathan  and  Enoch,  who  purchased  six  hundred  acres  of  land  a  short 
distance  west  and  northwest  of  the  site  of  the  village  of  Ballston  Spa, 
in  the  vicinity  of  Milton  Hill.  They  cho.se  the  most  sightly  and  most 
fertile  spot  in  that  section  of  the  county,  and  all  prospered.  There  is 
no  authentic  record  of  any  other  settlements  within  the  bounds  of 
Milton  prior  to  the  Revolution. 

There  is  no  record  extant  of  any  settlements  during  the  period  prior 
to  the  Revolution  in  the  towns  of  Providence,  Hadley,  Greenfield  or 
Day.  Early  settlements  in  these  towns  are  -described  in  the  future 
chapters  dealing  with  the  towns  of  the  county. 


CHAPTER   V. 

EDITED   BY   MRS.    ELLEN   HARDIN   WALWORTH. 

Events  Leading  up  to  the  Famous  Campaign  of  1777,  Made  by  Gen.  John  Bur- 
goyne — His  Magnificent  Array — General  Schuyler  in  Command  of  the  Northern 
Army — His  Futile  Attempts  to  Get  Reinforcements — Burgoyne  Takes  Forts  Ticon- 
deroga  and  Independence — Baum's  Expedition  against  Bennington — Defeated  by 
Gen.  John  Stark— British  Failure  at  Fort  Stanwix — Schuyler  Superseded  by  Gates 
— The  Battles  of  Saratoga — Death  of  the  Valiant  Frazer — Arnold's  Gallant,  though 
Unauthorized,  Victory — Burgoyne's  Surrender. 

"  The  American  Revolution  in  its  earlier  stages,  at  least,  was  not  a 
contest  between  opposing  governments  or  nationalities,  but  between 
two  dififerent  political  and  economic  systems."  The  King's  Preroga- 
tives, Navigation  Laws,  Acts  of  Trade,  and  Writs  of  Assistance,  were 
subjects  of  complaints  between  Great  Britain  and  her  colonies,  and 
were  among  the  causes  which  led  up  to  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  Yet 
the  more  immediate  causes  and  events  were  connected  with  the  results 
of  the  French  and  Indian  war,  which  was  closed  in  1763  by  the  treaty 
at  Paris,  which  recognized  the  extinction  of  the  French  empire  in 
America.  This  war  had  been  the  military  training  school  of  the  col- 
onists, and  not  only  military  discipline,  but  independent  and  united 
action  had  moulded  a  new  and  fervent  sentiment  in  the  scattered  col- 
onies.    The  futile  efforts  of  Franklin  and  others  for  a  union  of  the  col- 


48  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

onies,  which  had  been  attempted  in  1704,  and  again  at  Albany  in  1754, 
bore  fruit  in  the  Stamp  Act  Congress  of  1765,  held  in  New  York  city. 
From  this  date  opinions  and  events  rapidly  developed  and  culminated 
in  open  hostilities.  The  plea  of  Great  Britain  that  she  had  incurred  a 
debt  of  one  hundred  and  forty  millions  in  the  French  and  Indian  war 
for  the  benefit  of  her  colonies  was  resisted  as  unjust.  The  colonists 
urged  that  they  had  furnished  a  full  quota  of  money  and  men,  that  the 
war  had  been  waged  in  the  interest  of  commerce  and  the  aggrandize- 
ment of  the  realm ;  that  the  colonies  were  paying  far  more  than  their 
share  through  a  monopoly  of  their  trade  by  Great  Britian.  Irritation 
was  augmented  by  the  personal  character  of  the  reigning  sovereign. 
King  George  III.  Despotic  in  his  ideas  of  government,  stubborn,  and 
devoid  of  magnanimous  sentiments,  or  an  appreciation  of  the  common 
rights  of  humanity ;  surrounded  by  ministers  as  incompetent  as  himself, 
his  administration  was  odious  to  the  people  of  England  and  intolerable 
to  the  colonists. 

The  Stamp  Act,  which  had  been  passed  April  6,  1764,  was  repealed 
in  1766,  amid  great  rejoicing  in  the  colonies.  A  few  thoughtful  pat- 
riots dwelt  on  the  Declaratory  Act  of  the  same  Parliament,  "that  the 
king,  with  the  advice  of  Parliament,  had  full  power  to  make  laws  bind- 
ing America  in  all  cases  whatsoever;"  a  repeated  enforcement  of  this 
principle  in  time  aroused  the  independent  spirit  of  the  colonists  to  re- 
sistance. In  the  autumn  of  1766,  companies  of  Royal  Artillery  arrived 
in  Boston  and  were  quartered  on  the  inhabitants.  This  was  the  be- 
ginning of  the  end.  Boston,  in  a  town  meeting,  protested  against  an 
armed  invasion.  In  1773  the  burning  of  the  Gaspee  at  Providence, 
R.  I.,  inflamed  the  people  of  that  peaceful  colony.  This  event  also  led 
to  the  establishment  of  the  famous  "Committee  of  Correspondence" 
between  the  colonies,  Virginia  leading  in  this  important  movement. 
In  1773  Philadelphia  made  a  public  demonstration  against  the  project 
of  the  East  India  Company  for  transporting  their  accumulated  stock  of 
tea  to  America,  and  this  demonstration  was  followed  by  the  Boston 
"tea  party."  The  Boston  Port  Bill  passed  by  Great  Britain  as  a 
punishment  was  eminently  successful ;  it  brought  ruin  to  the  commerce 
of  Boston,  but  it  drew  the  colonists  more  closely  together  and  resulted 
in  the  meeting  of  the  first  Continental  Congress  in  Philadelphia,  Sep- 
tember 5,  1774. 

Actual  hostilities  opened  in  1775  with  the  battle  of  Lexington.  Soon 
after  Fort  Ticonderoga,  a  strong  work  which  had  cost  England  forty 


THE  SARATOGA  CAMPAIGN.  49 

millions  of  dollars,  was  captured  by  Ethan  Allen,  and  a  mere  handful 
of  "Green  Mountain  boys;"  then  Crown  Point  came  into  possession  of 
the  patriots,  without  the  loss  of  a  single  man.  This  brilliant  opening 
of  resistance  to  tyranny  was  succeeded  by  reverses  and  discourage- 
ments. In  1777  Washington's  army  numbered  less  than  eight  thou- 
sand men,  many  of  them  of  the  militia,  and  restless  to  return  to  their 
farms.  It  was  upon  farmers  mainly  that  Schuyler  must  depend  for 
reinforcements  for  the  Northern  Army,  which  was  to  meet  the  advanc- 
ing forces  of  Burgoyne.  In  the  autumn  of  this  year  a  gloom  hung 
over  the  villages  and  farms  of  New  York  and  New  England ;  depression 
was  followed  by  dismay  as  the  Indians  grew  more  hostile,  and  the 
armies  of  Great  Britain  threatened  invasion  from  the  north.  The 
militia  men  had  left  the  army  by  hundreds  and  gone  to  their  homes  to 
harvest  their  crops.  Repeated  calls  for  enlistments  were  disregarded 
until  the  burning  of  Skenesborough  (now  Whitehall)  by  Burgoyne 
lighted  up  the  northern  horizon,  and  the  urgent  words  of  Washington 
addressed  to  New  England  aroused  the  minute  men  to  a  sense  of  the 
approaching  danger.  General  Schuyler  with  his  small  army  had  been 
untiring  in  his  efforts  to  obstruct  the  passage  of  the  British  southward. 
Trees  were  felled,  bridges  destroyed,  and  the  roads  made  impassable 
for  Burgoyne's  artillery  and  wagon  trains.  This  work,  so  unselfishly 
wrought  by  Schuyler  while  his  enemies  were  active  in  their  machina- 
tions for  his  downfall,  was  of  invaluable  service  when  the  colonists 
were  at  last  aroused  to  activity.  At  once,  as  by  a  common  instinct, 
they  turned  from  their  rural  pursuits,  grasped  the  weapon  nearest  at 
hand,  and  hurried  to  join  the  little  army  under  Schuyler  which  still 
lingered  at  the  mouths  of  the  Mohawk. 

Again  General  Schuyler  asked  for  reinforcements  for  his  insignificant 
army,  but  his  appeal  met  no  response  except  from  Washington.  The 
commander-in-chief,  who  had  been  holding  Lord  Howe  in  check  in  the 
Jerseys,  though  greatly  in  need  of  more  men  himself,  realized  the  sit- 
uation in  the  north.  To  Schuyler's  assistance  he,  therefore,  dispatched 
Morgan's  corps  of  five  hundred  picked  njen,  and  also  sent  Arnold  to 
help  repel  the  approaching  invaders.  Colonel  Lincoln,  who  was  then 
in  New  England,  was  ordered  to  repair  with  his  forces  to  Schuyler's 
command,  and  directed  to  attempt  a  flank  movement  upon  Burgoyne 
toward  the  east.  Washington  also  urged  the  commanders  of  militia  in 
Connecticut  and  western  Massachusetts  to  proceed  with  a  large  part  of 
their  commands  to  any  point  designed  by  General  Schuyler, 
4 


50  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

In  the  latter  part  of  June  Burgoyne  and  his  magnificent  army  reached 
Crown  Point.  There,  on  the  30th  of  the  month,  he  issued  his  famous 
order  containing  these  words;  "  This  army  must  not  retreat."  July  1 
his  command  moved  forward  in  battle  array.  One  American  position 
after  another  fell  into  his  hands.  On  the  night  of  July  5,  St.  Clair, 
finding  that  General  Philips  of  the  Royal  Artillery  had  scaled  the 
heights  of  Prospect  Mountain,  which  commanded  the  fort,  evacuated 
Forts  Ticonderoga  and  Independence.  On  the  seventh  the  fugitive 
Americans  retreated  from  Hubbardtown,  Vermont,  after  a  sharp  en- 
gagement. Retreat  followed  retreat  in  rapid  succession,  until  Fort 
Edward  was  reached.  The  following  day  the  British  captured  a  large 
quantity  of  baggage,  stores,  and  provisions  at  Whitehall. 

Up  to  this  time  General  Schuyler  had  remained  in  Albany  awaiting 
the  arrival  of  the  expected  and  promised  reinforcements  from  the  south. 
As  they  had  not  arrived  by  the  seventh,  he  started  north  with  the  small 
force  he  had  collected,  about  one  thousand  five  hundred  men,  leaving 
orders  for  the  anticipated  reinforcements  to  follow.  Reaching  Still- 
water he  learned  that  Forts  Ticonderoga  and  Independence  had  been 
abandoned.  Hurrying  on  to  Fort  Edward  he  was  met  a  week  later, 
by  St.  Clair,  with  his  command,  which  had  suffered  much  in  its  lotig 
march. 

Burgoyne  remained  at  Skenesborough,  the  guest  of  Colonel  Skene, 
a  noted  Royalist.  General  Schuyler,  still  using  every  possible  effort 
to  obstruct  the  progress  of  the  enemy,  fell  back  from  Fort  Edward  to 
Fort  Miller,  again  placing  obstructions  in  the  road  he  knew  Burgoyne 
would  follow,  and  finally  retreated  to  Stillwater.  Here  he  retained  his 
headquarters,  though  prudently  directing  his  little  army  to  go  into 
camp  near  the  mouths  of  the  Mohawk. 

Burgoyne  advanced  southward  very  slowly,  being  compelled  to  cut 
new  roads  for  his  heavy  artillery.  It  was  not  until  July  13  that  he 
arrived  at  Fort  Edward,  in  the  vicinity  of  which  he  remained  until 
September  10.  His  difficulties  and  perplexities  constantly  increased. 
He  had  expected  sympathy  and  assistance  from  the  inhabitants,  whom 
Colonel  Skene  had  assured  him  were  loyal,  but  he  found  them  cold. 
Many  homes  were  deserted.  Provisions  were  difficult  to  obtain.  He 
could  not  control  his  Indian  allies,  and  soon  his  own  humane  and  hon- 
orable sentiments  were  shocked  and  disgusted  by  the  hideous  murder 
of  young  Jeannie  McCrea  by  a  party  of  savages.  This  crime  intensified 
the  hostile  feeling  of  the  colonists,  and  Burgoyne  would  have  rid  him- 


MURDER  OF  JEANNIE  McCREA.  51 

self  of  the  savages  but  for  the  imperative  commands  of  his  govern- 
ment. He  had  .the  manliness  to  impose  great  restrictions  upon  their 
movements;  but  this  aroused  their  resentment,  and  they  deserted  by 
hundreds. 

MURDER   OP  JEANNIE   McCREA. 

The  murder  of  Jeannie  McCrea  was  one  one  of  the  most  fiendish  and 
totally  uncalled  for  atrocities  ever  committed  by  the  Indians.  About 
the  year  1768,  two  .Scotch  families,  named  McCrea  and  Jones  respect- 
ively, removed  from  New  Jersey  and  built  pioneer  homes  in  the  woods 
on  the  west  bank  of  the  Hudson  near  and  below  Fort  Edward.  The 
Jones  family,  consisting  of  the  mother  (a  widow)  and  six  sons:  Jona- 
than, John,  Dunham,  Daniel,  David  and  Solomon,  located  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  below  Fort  Edward,  and  the  McCreas  settled  three  or 
four  miles  farther  down  the  river.  Both  homes  were  in  the  town  of 
Moreau.  Jeannie  McCrea  was  the  daughter  of  a  Scotch  Presbyterian 
minister.  Her  mother  having  died,  her  father  married  again,  and  she 
came  to  reside  with  her  brother,  John  McCrea,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Hudson.  The  latter,  and  his  brother,  Daniel  McCrea,  were  staunch 
patriots.  The  Jones  family,  on  the  other  hand,  were  Torries.  In  1773 
Daniel  McCrea  was  the  first  clerk  of  the  first  court  held  in  Charlotte 
county,  by  Judge  Duer,  at  Fort  Edward.  In  1775  John  McCrea  be- 
came colonel  of  the  Saratoga  regiment  of  the  Albany  county  militia 
organized  by  the  committee  of  safety.  The  treachery  of  the  Jones 
family  is  illustrated  by  the  fact  that  in  the  fall  of  1776  Jonathan  and 
David  Jones  raised  a  company  of  fifty  men  under  the  pretext  of  rein- 
forcing the  patriot  garrison  at  Ticonderoga,  but  by  a  trick  they  suc- 
ceeded in  compelling  the  company  to  join  the  British  at  Crown  Point. 
The  following  winter  both  went  to  Canada  and  received  commissions 
in  the  British  army — Jonathan  becoming  captain  and  David  a  lieuten- 
ant in  the  same  company;  and  when  Burgoyne  invaded  New  York 
these  men  acted  as  guides  in  the  attack  against  their  own  countrymen. 

At  this  time  Miss  McCrea  was  about  twenty-three  years  of  age  and 
possessed  of  more  than  ordinary  beauty  of  character  and  person.  She 
is  said  to  have  been  engaged  to  marry  young  Lieutenant  David  Jones, 
who  now  was  an  officer  in  the  army  which  soon  was  to  cause  her  death. 
She  had  been  repeatedly  admonished  by  her  brother,  Colonel  John 
McCrea,  to  go  down  the  river,  as  most  white  settlers  had  done,  but  she 
still  remained  near  Fort  Edward,     The  day  before  her  death  she  went 


53  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

up  the  river,  crossed  over  the  ferry  at  Jones's  place  and  went  to  the 
residence  of  Peter  Freel,  near  the  fort,  where  she  remained  that  night. 
The  next  morning  she  went  to  the  home  of  Mrs.  McNiel,  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  north  of  the  fort.  Mrs.  McNeil  was  a  cousin  of  General  Frazer, 
of  the  advancing  British  army,  and  was  doubtless  about  to  seek  his 
protection. 

The  next  morning  (Sunday),  July  27,  the  Americans  at  the  fort  had 
sent  out  fifty  men  under  Lieutenant  Palmer  to  watch  the  move- 
ments of  the  enemy.  This  party  fell  into  an  ambuscade  prepared 
by  the  Indians,  and  in  the  fight  that  followed  eighteen  men,  including 
young  Lieutenant  Palmer,  were  killed  and  scalped.  The  pursuing 
Indians  halted  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  and  then  rushed  forward  to 
the  house  of  Mrs.  McNiel.  They  seized  the  latter  and  Miss  McCrea 
and  started  to  join  the  main  body  of  the  savages.  Soon  the  report  of 
a  gun  was  heard,  and  the  beautiful  girl  fell  from  her  horse.  An  Indian 
chief  instantly  sprang  toward  her  and  scalped  her.  Her  body  was  then 
stripped  and  dragged  into  the  woods,  and  the  Indians,  retaining  Mrs. 
McNiel  as  a  captive,  proceeded  to  the  ranks  of  the  main  British  army. 

None  of  the  Americans  dared  leave  the  fort  that  day,  but  the  next 
morning  they  evacuated  Fort  Edward  and  proceeded  down  the  river. 
Before  leaving  they  sent  a  detachment  of  men  to  the  woods  near  by 
and  found  the  body  of  the  murdered  girl  near  that  of  Lieutenant  Palmer. 
Both  were  taken  about  three  miles  below  Fort  Edward  and  there  buried. 
This  tragedy  served  to  arouse  the  patriots  to  an  enthusiastic  defense  of 
their  homes  and  families,  and  bound  them  in  a  common  cause  of  resist- 
ance and  revenge.  Burgoyne  deprecated  the  act  but  was  powerless  to 
punish  the  savages.' 

THE  BENNINGTON  EXPEDITION. 

Burgoyne's  next  movement  was  upon  Bennington,  by  which  he  in- 
tended to  co-operate  with  the  expedition  of  St.  Leger  upon  Fort  Stanwix, 
according  to  the  original  plan  of  his  campaign.  He  had  also  been 
informed  by  Colonel  Skene,  in  whose  counsels  he  placed  great  confi- 
dence, that  the  Americans  had  collected  at  Bennington  many  horses 
and  stores  of  all  kinds  for  the  use  of  the  army  of  the  north.  Therefore, 
while  his  main  army  rested,  he  dispatched  Colonel  Baum  with  a  body 

■  In  the  inquiry  into  the  failure  of  the  campaign  before  tlie  committee  of  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, in  1779,  General  Burgoyne  stated  that  after  Jeannie  McCrea  had  been  taken  by  one  band  of 
Indians,  another  band  came  up  and  claimed  her.  To  settle  the  dispute  she  was  killed  on  the  spot. 
This  was  the  belief  of  the  members  of  the  McCrea  family. 


THE  BENNINGTON  EXPEDITION.  53 

of  German  grenadiers,  English  marksmen,  Canadians  and  Indians,  five 
hundred  in  all,  to  make  an  attack  upon  Bennington  and  secure  the 
needed  horses  and  stores.  Baum  set  out  August  13,  and  so  eager  was 
Burgoyne  to  insure  the  success  of  the  expedition  that  he  rode  after 
Baum  to  repeat  his  orders  to  him  verbally. 

Burgoyne's  entire  force  aggregated  ten  thousand  men  when  he 
entered  the  territory  of  the  colony  of  New  York.  Of  these,  seven 
thousand  were  British  and  Hessian  veterans,  the  balance  being  Cana- 
dians and  Indians.  Several  hundred  of  the  latter  had  deserted  by  the 
time  the  Bennington  expedition  started,  and  a  considerable  force  had 
been  sent  to  the  assistance  of  St.  Leger  at  Fort  Stanwix. 

The  plan  of  the  campaign  embraced  a  descent  upon  Albany  by  way 
of  Lake  Champlain  and  the  upper  Hudson.  From  Albany  it  was  Bur- 
goyne's intention  to  descend  the  river  to  New  York  and  unite  his  forces 
with  the  main  division  of  the  British  army. 

When  the  patriots  of  Bennington  and  vicinity  learned  of  the  intended 
raid  of  the  enemy.  General  John  Stark  rallied  the  New  Hampshire 
militia  and  prepared  to  defend  the  provincial  stores  from  capture.  He 
also  dispatched  a  message  to  General  Lincoln  at  Manchester,  to  for- 
ward reinforcements. 

On  the  morning  of  August  14  he  proceeded  from  Bennington  to  a 
point  about  six  miles  on  the  road  westward,  where  he  met  and  at  once 
engaged  the  enemy.  A  heavy  rain  fell  the  following  day,  but  on  the 
16th  occurred  the  memorable  battle  of  Bennington.'  During  the  en- 
gagement, which  was  a  fierce  one,  the  patriot  forces  displaying  remark- 
able valor.  Colonel  Breyman  arrived  with  Hessian  reinforcements. 
General  Stark's  command  began  to  show  signs  of  exhaustion  when 
Colonel  Warren  arrived  from  Bennington  with  his  regiment,  fresh  and 
full  of  fight.  The  action  was  then  renewed,  late  in  the  afternoon,  and 
the  enemy  was  forced  to  retreat,  Breyman  leaving  his  baggage  and 
artillery  in  the  hands  of  the  victorious  patriots.  Had  not  night  covered 
the  retreat,  the  patriot  forces  probably  would  have  captured  the  entire 
expedition. 

The  victory  was  as  disheartening  to  the  British  as  it  was  encouraging 
to  the  Americans,  as  the  enemy  not  only  .failed  to  add  to  its  depleted 
stock  of  stores,  but  also  lost  one  thousand  stand  of  arms  and  a  number 
of  fine  field  pieces.  Nearly  six  hundred  privates  and  thirty-two  officers 
were  also  made  prisoners  of  war. 

1  So  known  in  history,  though  practically  the  entire  engagement  occurred  in  what  is  now  the 
town  of  Hoosick,  Rensselaer  county,  N.  Y, 


54  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

in  the  meantime,  on  August  3,  St.  Leger  appeared  before  Fort 
Stanwix,  but  became  alarmed  by  the  stories  of  a  large  army  en  route 
to  the  relief  of  Gansevoort's  garrison,  and  fled,  leaving  his  arms  and 
stores,  which  were  secured  by  Col.  Gansevoort.  General  Herkimer, 
marching  to  the  rescue  of  Gansevoort,  encountered  Johnson's  Royal 
Greens  in  the  battle  of  Oriskany.  In  this  desperate  hand  to  hand  con- 
flict the  enemy  was  finally  driven  back. 

General  Arnold,  who,  with  the  force  dispatched  by  General  Schuyler 
for  the  relief  of  Fort  Stanwix,  was  biit  forty  miles  from  that  point 
when  the  news  of  the  precipitate  flight  of  the  enemy  was  received,  re- 
turned at  once  to  the  assistance  of  Schuyler.  Reinforcements  for  the 
latter  were  also  arriving  from  other  directions.  The  long  looked  for 
regiments  from  the  Highlands  had  arrived;  the  New  York  militia  had 
rallied,  and  the  New  England  forces,  enthusiastic  over  the  victory  at 
Bennington,  were  on  their  way  to  join  the  camp  at  Stillwater. 

SCHUYLER  SUPERSEDED  BY  GATES. 

At  this  juncture,  when  Schuyler  was  for  the  first  time  in  a  position 
strong  enough  to  warant  him  in  beginning  offensive  operations,  when 
his  spirits  were  high,  when  success  was  almost  in  his  grasp,  there  came 
the  blow  which  would  have  wrecked  the  lives  of  most  aspiring  men. 
It  was  the  act  of  an  ungrateful  Congress  by  which  he  was  superseded  by 
General  Gates  as  commander  of  the  army  of  the  north.' 

The  first  of&cial  act  of  General  Gates  after  assuming  command  was 
to  dispatch  Kosciusko,  the  Polish  engineer  and  patriot,  to  select  a  po- 
sition for  the  proposed  advance  camp  of  the  Revolutionary  forces.  He 
decided  upon  Bemis  Heights,  four  miles  from  Stillwater,  as  the  most 

'  "  Schuyler  was  at  last  in  a  position  to  begin  offensive  operations;  he  would  soon  tie  able  to 
point  6xultingly  to  the  result  of  his  toil,  his  patience,  to  the  unappreciated  difficulties  now  con- 
quered. Such  we  may  imagine  General  Schuyler's  thoughts,  as  he  sprang  on  his  horse  one  bright 
morning  in  August,  at  the  door  of  his  stately  mansion  in  Albany,  when  about  to  meet  his  officers 
for  a  consultation  in  regard  to  an  advance  movement  of  his  army.  As  his  charger  moved  rest- 
lessly under  the  rein,  an  officer  approached  with  an  official  document.  Schuyler,  ever  on  the 
alert,  checked  his  horse  to  examine  the  dispatch.  It  contained  the  resolutions  of  Congress  that 
deprived  him  of  his  command.  This,  in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  and  at  the  turning  point  of  his 
fortunes!  A  momentary  movement  of  the  lip,  and  a  lifting  of  the  eyebrows— then  a  deepening  of 
the  firm  lines  about  the  mouth,  were  the  only  signs  of  suppressed  emotion.  With  a  graceful  bow 
to  the  waiting  officer,  the  deeply  injured  commander  rode  quietly  on  to  his  headquarters.  When 
surrounded  by  his  officers  he  explained  the  dispatch,  and  simply  said:  "  Until  the  country  is  in 
safety,  I  shall  stifle  my  resentment."  He  kept  his  word,  and  with  unremitting  energy,  continued 
to  perform  the  arduous  duties  of  his  command,  until  his  successor,  General  Gates,  appeared  at 
headquarters,  where  he  was  received  and  entertained  by  General  Schuyler  with  generous 
magnanimity  and  dignity."— Battles  of  Saratoga,  E.  H.  W. 


BATTLE  OF  SEPTEMBER  19.  55 

ad  vantagepus  point,  and  the  army  soon  afterward  went  into  camp  in 
that  position  and  threw  up  earthworks  for  its  defense. 

In  the  face  of  ever  increasing  dangers,  Burgoyne  pushed  on  south- 
ward, still  undismayed.  Sending  a  messenger  to  New  York  to  beg  for 
a  movement  from  the  south,  he  left  Fort  Edward  with  a  month's  pro- 
visions, crossed  the  Hudson  on  the  13th  and  lith  of  September,  and 
was  soon  encamped  on  the  north  side  of  Fish  Creek,  the  outlet  of  Sara- 
toga Lake. 

The  American  camp  was  on  a  spur  of  hills  that  approached  the  river. 
Across  the  narrow  meadow  between  the  hill  and  the  river  earthworks 
were  thrown  up,  covering  the  old  colonial  road  and  a  bridge  of  boats 
across  the  river.  Breastworks  and  redoubts  were  established  at  con- 
venient intervals.  A  natural  defense  aloag  the  front  of  the  camp  oc- 
curred in  a  densely  wooded  ravine,  and  a  little  further  north  Mill  Creek 
ran  through  a  still  deeper  ravine.  The  right  wing,  under  Gates,  occu- 
pied the  river  hills  and  the  defile  between  these  and  the  river;  the  left 
wing,  under  Morgan,  was  located  on  the  heights  nearly  a  mile  from 
the  river;  the  center,  under  Larned,  occupied  the  elevated  plain. 
Arnold  constantly  harassed  the  enemy,  with  fifteen  hundred  men. 

THE  BATTLE   OF   SEPTEMBER  19. 

September  19th,  at  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  with  his  army  di- 
vided in  three  columns,  General  Burgoyne  advanced  toward  the  Amer- 
ican camp.  Riedesel,  in  command  of  the  Hessian  regiments,  and 
Phillips  with  his  artillery,  comprising  the  left  wing,  marched  down  the 
river  road.  Burgoyne,  commanding  the  British  regiments,  comprising 
the  center,  proceeded  towards  the  heights  on  the  right.  Frazer,  with 
his  own  and  Breyman's  corps,  comprising  the  right  wing,  moved  to 
attack  the  American  position  from  the  west. 

About  noon  the  attack  began.  Gates  did  not  immediately  order  an 
attack  on  the  Indians  hovering  near  the  fort ;  but  finally,  in  response  to 
the  repeated  and  urgent  solicitations  of  Arnold  and  other  officers,  he 
consented  to  allow  the  savages  to  be  driven  off. 

The  British  army  continued  its  approach.  As  soon  as  the  word  was 
given,  Morgan  and  his  riflemen  led  the  way,  driving  the  advancing 
enemy  back  with  such  rapidity  that  the  commander  was  obliged  to  re- 
call them  to  quieter  work.  Frazer  in  his  march  to  the  west  attempted 
to  reach  the  rear  of  the  American  position,  and  Arnold,  with  Larned's 
brigade,  made  a  dash  to  cut  the  right  wing  from  the  main  army.    Near 


56  OUR  COUNtY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Mill  Creek  the  two  forces  met  unexpectedly  and  a  furious  fight  ensued. 
Arnold's  and  Morgan's  men  fought  with  unexampled  energy,  even 
ferocity.  Heavy  reinforcements  came  to  the  relief  of  Frazer's  division, 
Gates  neglected  to  send  assistance  and  the  valiant  commands  facing 
Frazer  were  retired. 

Arnold  and  Morgan  now  made  a  rapid  counter  march  against  Frazer's 
left,  and  in  this  movement  encountered  the  whole  English  line  under 
Burgoyne. 

They  were  now  reinforced  with  four  regiments,  and  made  s.o  vigor- 
ous and  resolute  an  attack  that  they  were  on  the  point  of  severing  the 
wings  of  the  British  army,  when  Phillips  came  forward  with  bis  artil- 
lery, and  the  Americans  were  forced  back  within  their  lines.  It  was 
now  three  o'clock,  and  a  lull  occurred  in  the  contest.  The  two  armies 
lay  each  upon  a  hillside,  that  sloped  toward  a  ravine,  which  separated 
them.  With  the  reinforcements  conceded  to  Arnold,  his  force  did  not 
exceed  three  thousand  men ;  yet,  with  this  number,  for  four  hours,  he 
sustained  an  unequal  conflict  with  the  choicest  English  regiments,  in- 
spired by  every  sentiment  that  ambition  or  desperation  could  awaken, 
and  commanded  by  many  of  the  most  accomplished  and  brave  ofificers 
of  the  English  army. 

Steadily  the  patriots  received  charge  after  charge  of  the  dreaded 
English  bayonets;  then,  emboldened  by  their  own  endurance,  they 
pushed  upon  the  enemy  in  a  fierce  attack,  to  be  driven  again  toward 
their  own  lines.  While  victory  seemed  thus  to  sway  back  and  forth 
over  the  little  stream,  and  while  the  Americans  held  the  ascendancy, 
Riedesel  came  over  the  field  at  double  quick  with  his  heavy  Germans, 
and  pressed  the  exhausted  Americans  back  once  more.  It  was  now 
dark ;  they  gathered  up  their  wounded  and  prisoners,  and  retired  to 
their  camp. 

The  American  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  was  about  three  hundred, 
and  the  British  nearly  double  that  number.  The  latter  held  the  field, 
and  claimed  a  victory;  it  was  worse  than  barren  to  them.  Foiled  in 
their  main  object  they  were  now  burdened  with  many  wounded ;  they 
had  tested  the  strength  of  the  Americans,  and  were  convinced  that  their 
own  advantages  of  discipline  and  bayonets  were  perfectly  counterpoised 
by  the  enthusiam  and  courage  of  the  patriots.  The  British,  who  bivou- 
acked on  the  field,  were  harassed  until  midnight  by  large  skiri;hishing 
parties  of  the  Americans,  and  were  under  arms  in  expectation  of  an 
attack  in  force. 


BATTLE  OF  OCTOBER  7.  57 

Arnold  urged  the  importance  of  this  attack  with  such  vehemence  that 
Gates  took  serious  offense,  although  he  failed  to  tell  Arnold  that  he 
was  short  of  ammunition — the  reason  afterwards  given  for  his  refusal 
to  follow  up  the  advantage  of  the  previous  day.  In  his  report  of  the 
battle  to  Congress  he  refrained  from  mentioning  Arnold's  name.  This 
led  to  a  further  quarrel,  and  Arnold  was  deprived  of  his  command. 
Gates  continued  to  strengthen  the  defenses  of  his  camp,  while  his  army 
daily  increased  in  numbers. 

BATTLE   OF  OCTOBER  7. 

Burgoyije  encamped  his  whole  army  on  the  ground  he  had  gained 
on  the  19th^  and  protected  it  with  strong  entrenchments.  Strongly 
and  skillfully  posted,  the  two  armies  lay  face  to  face  from  the  20th 
of  September  until  the  7th  of  October. 

Our  army  was  exultant,  hopeful.  The  other  camp  seemed  oppressed 
by  the  overhanging  cloud  of  its  impending  fate.  Difficulties  enclosed 
them  on  all  sides,  leaving  but  one  narrow  pathway  to  the  north ;  and 
that  was  soon  closed  by  an  active  detachment  of  Americans  from 
Lincoln's  command.  They  had  surprised  the  British  garrisons  at  Lake 
George  and  Ticonderoga,  and  regained  all  the  outer  defenses  of  the 
latter  place;  had  captured  gunboats  and  bateaux,  and  taken  three 
hundred  prisoners. 

News  of  this  calamity  soon  reached  Burgoyne,  yet  he  had  some 
compensation  in  a  gleam  of  hope  that  reached  him  from  the  south 
at  the  same  time.  A  letter  from  Sir  Henry  Clinton  was  received, 
informing  him  that  on  the  20th  he  would  attack  the  forts  below  the 
Highlands,  and  attempt  a  further  ascent  of  the  river.  Two  officers 
in  disguise  were  immediately  dispatched  in  return  to  inform  Clinton 
of  the  critical  position  of  Burgoyne's  army,  and  urge  him  to  hasten 
to  its  assistance.  Clinton  was  also  assured  that  Burgoyne  would  en- 
deavor to  hold  his  present  position  until  the  lath  of  October. 

Lincoln,  who,  with  a  large  body  of  militia,  now  joined  the  army  at 
Bemis  Heights,  was  placed  in  command  of  the  right  wing.  Gates  took 
command  of  tUe  left,  of  which  Arnold  had  been  dispossessed.  The  lat- 
ter had  remained  in  camp,  waiting  patiently  for  a  collision  between  the 
hostile  armies. 

As  Burgoyne's  situation  became  day  by  day  more  critical,  and  he  re- 
ceived no  news  from  Clinton,  on  the  4th  of  October  he  ca-Jled  Generals 
Riedesel,  Phillips  and  Frazer  together  in  council.     On  the  6th  he  had 


58  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

five  days'  rations  distributed,  and  arranged  for  a  reconnoissance  in  force 
on  the  following  day.  As  he  could  not  leave  his  camp  unprotected,  he 
took  only  fifteen  hundred  men.  They  were  selected  from  the  corps  of 
Riedesel,  Frazer  and  Phillips.  Led  by  these  officers  in  person,  and 
Burgoyne  as  commander-in-chief,  they  marched  out  of  camp  at  eleven 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  7th,  and  entered  a  field  within  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  of  the  American  left.  Here,  in  double  ranks,  they 
formed  in  line  of  battle. 

On  the  left  Williams's  artillery  and  Ackland's  grenadiers  were  posted, 
on  a  gentle  hill  in  the  edge  of  a  wood  that  fronted  on  Mill  Creek.  Bal- 
carras's  light  infantry  and  other  English  regiments  formed  the  right; 
the  Hessians  formed  the  center.  Frazer,  with  five  hundred  picked 
men,  was  posted  to  the  right  and  front,  where  a  hill  skirted  the  mead- 
ow ;  he  was  ready  to  fall  upon  the  rear  of  the  American  left  at  the  first 
attack  in  front. 

Foragers  were  at  work  in  a  wheat  field,  while  the  English  officers 
reconnoitred  the  American  left  with  their  glasses  from  the  top  of  a 
cabin  near  the  field.  An  aide-de-camp  conveyed  this  information  to 
Gates,  who  said:  "  Order  out  Morgan  to  begin  the  game." 

Morgan  had  already  discovered  Frazer's  position,  had  divined  his 
design,  and  formed  his  own  plan.  Ordering  an  attack  to  be  made  on 
Balcarras  in  front,  he  made  a  circuit  in  the  woods  to  fall  upon  Frazer 
from  the  heights  above.  It  was  also  arranged  that  General  Poor  should 
assail  the  grenadiers  on  the  British  left  simultaneously  with  Morgan's 
attack.     Lamed  was  to  check  the  Germans  in  the  center. 

From  their  restraining  earthworks  the  impetuous  Americans  poured 
furiously  upon  their  adversaries  in  front,  while  Morgan  swept  down 
the  height  upon  Frazer's  heroic  band.  So  terrible  was  the  onslaught 
that  in  less  than  twenty  minutes  the  British  were  thrown  into  con- 
fusion. Frazer,  in  his  brilliant  uniform,  rode  from  side  to  side  of  the 
right  wing,  encouraging  and  rallying  the  bewildered  troops,  and  pro- 
tecting every  point  with. his  flexible  five  hundred. 

Burgoyne,  seeing  the  right  wing  in  danger  of  being  surrounded, 
now  ordered  Frazer  to  form  a  second  line  to  cover  a  fetreat..  In  at- 
tempting this  manoeuvre,  Frazer  fell  mortally  wounded,  and  was  car- 
ried from  the  field. 

The  division  under  Poor,  with  the  same  impulsive  vigor,  dashed  up 
the  hill  upon  the  artillery  and  grenadiers  of  the  British  left,  and  drove 
them  from  their  guns.     Ackland  brought  them  back,  and  recaptured 


BATTLE  OF  OCTOBER  7.  59 

the  guns,  which  again  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Americans,  who  rapidly- 
turned  them  upon  the  enemy,  and  drove  them  flying  from  the  field. 
Ackland  was  wounded  in  both  legs.  He  was  a  large,  heavy  man,  but 
an  officer  took  him  on  his  back,  and  ran  some  distance  with  him.  The 
pursuit  was  close,  and  the  officer,  fearing  he  would  be  captured, 
dropped  his  friend,  and  hurried  on.  Ackland  now  called  out  to  the 
flying  men  that  he  would  give  fifty  guineas  to  any  man  who  would 
carry  him  into  camp.  A  tall  grenadier  took  him  on  his  shoulders,  but 
had  not  proceeded  many  steps  when  he  and  his  helpless  burden  were 
taken  prisoners. 

The  Hessians  still  held  their  ground  in  the  centre.  At  this  moment 
Arnold,  njaddened  by  his  injuries,  and  excited  into  frenzy  by  the  clash 
and  roar  of  the  battle,  dashed  on  the  field,  followed  in  the  distance  by 
Armstrong,  Gates's  aid-de-camp,  carrying  unsuccessful  orders  to  com- 
pel his  return. 

With  two  brigades  Arnold  rushed  upon  the  Hessian  center,  who 
stood  the  shock  bravely  for  a  time,  but  as  he  dashed  upon  them  again 
and  again  with  a  fury  they  had  never  before  witnessed,  they  turned 
and  fled  in  dismay. 

Burgoyne  now  took  command  in  person,  and  the  conflict  became 
general  along  the  whole  line.  Arnold  and  Morgan,  uniting  to  break  a 
strong  point  in  the  British  ranks,  would  again  separate  to  move  from 
one  place  to  another,  where  orders  or  encouragement  were  necessary. 
Burgoyne  succeeded  Fi-azer  as  the  conspicuous  figure  on  the  opposing 
side,  and  was  seen  in  the  thickest  of  the  mel^e,  under  the  heaviest  fire. 
Several  shots  tore  his  clothing  and  his  aids  implored  him  not  to  expose 
himself,  but  resolute  and  daring,  he  endeavored  skillfully,  but  vainly, 
to  rally  his  army,  ^nd  hold  his  ground.  His  whole  force  was  driven 
into  their  entrenched  camp.  Here  they  made  a  determined  stand. 
Arnold  now  took  Patterson's  brigade,  and  assailed  Frazer's  camp, 
where  Balcarras  and  his  light  infantry  had  taken  refuge. 

Charging  with  renewed  vigor  again  and  again  up  the  embankment, 
he  led  the  way  over  a  strong  abattis;  driven  back  from  this,  he  attacked 
the  entrenchments  connecting  this  redoubt  with  Breyman's  flank  de- 
fense. Here  he  succeeded,  and  leaving  the  Massachusetts  regiments 
to  follow  up  the  advantage  at  that  point,  he  encountered  a  part  of 
Larned's  brigade,  and  dashed  upon  the  strong  works  of  the  Hessian 
camp.  Here,  too,,  he  drove  ieverything  before  him.  Capturing  the 
cannon,  the  artillerists  fled  in  consternation,  and  Breyman  was  killed 


60  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

on  the  spot.  Arnold's  horse  was  shot  under  him ;  it  fell  on  him,  and 
his  leg  was  severely  wounded.     He  was  carried  from  the  field. 

The  whole  British  camp  now  lay  exposed  to  the  pursuing  Americans. 
Night  and  silence  fell  upon  the  scene.  The  groans  of  the  wounded, 
the  muffled  words  of  command  given  for  the  burial  of  the  dead,  and 
the  dirge-like  wailing  of  the  autumn  wind  in  the  tall  pines,  were  the 
only  sounds  that  followed  the  roar  of  artillery  and  the  shouts  of  the 
victors. 

While  the  battle  raged  on  the  heights,  confusion  and  sorrow  feigned 
in  and  around  the  British  camp  near  the  river.  After  midnight  General 
Lincoln  from  the  American  camp  marched  on  the  battlefield  with  a 
large  body  of  fresh  troops,  to  replace  the  exhausted  victors  of  the  pre- 
vious day.  Burgoyne,  aware  of  his  danger,  if  attacked  in  his  exposed 
position,  now  moved  his  whole  army  hurriedly,  but  in  good  order,  to 
the  river  bank.  Here,  in  gloomy  desperation,  they  were  crowded  to- 
gether under  the  redoubts,  on  the  morning  of  the  8th. 

Burgoyne  now  gave  orders  for  a  full  retreat  of  his  army,  to  begin  at 
nine  o'clock  that  same  night,  the  wounded  and  all  heavy  baggage  to  be 
left  behind.  General  Riedesel  was  ordered  to  lead  the  vanguard,  and 
push  on  until  he  crossed  the  Hudson  at  the  Saratoga  ford,  and  there 
take  a  position  behind  the  hills  at  the  Batten  Kill.  A  drenching  rain 
poured  upon  the  weary,  plodding  army  the  whole  night.  At  Dogovat 
a  halt  was  made. 

Starting  from  Dogovat  at  daybreak,  the  British  moved  again,  but 
only  to  encamp  during  the  day  on  the  heights  north  of  Fisli  Kill.  The 
handsome  residence  of  General  Schuyler  was  burned  on  the  way. 
During  this  time  Colonel  Fellows,  with  the  American  artillery,  had 
planted  his  guns  on  the  hills  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson,  opposite 
the  British  camp.  General  Stark  had  also  taken  possession  of  Fort 
Edward  above.  On  the  10th,  General  Gates,  having  waited  for  fine 
weather,  followed  Burgoyne  to  Saratoga  and  encamped  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Fish  Kill.  His  delay  greatly  endangered  the  detachment  of 
Colonel  Fellows,  who  could  easily  have  been  surrounded  and  captured ; 
in  fact,  some  of  Burgoyne's  officers  were  anxious  to  make  the  attempt, 
but  failed  to  obtain  permission.  On  the  morning  of  the  11th,  while 
the  autumn  mist  hung  heavily  over  Fish  Kill  and  the  adjacent  grounds. 
Gates,  believing  that  Burgoyne  had  continued  his  retreat,  ordered  his 
whole  army  to  advance  across  the  stream  in  pursuit.  Without  a  recon- 
noissance  or  vanguard,  the  army  was  set  in  motion.     The  vigilant  Bur- 


BURGOYNE'S  RETREAT.  61 

goyne,  having  now  staked  his  chances  on  delay,  was  waiting  eagerly 
for  any  mistake  on  the  part  of  his  adversary.  Aware  of  the  proximity 
of  Gates,  and  of  his  intention,  he  drew  up  his  army,  under  cover  of  the 
dense  fog,  in  battle  array,  on  the  north  side  of  the  stream  to  receive 
him.  The  American  regiments  under  Nixon  passed  over  and  were  in- 
stantly attacked;  a  severe  contest  followed,  and  Nixon  soon  discovered 
the  British  in  force;  using  his  own  judgment,  and  disobeying  orders, 
he  retreated,  and  checked  the  further  progress  of  the  army  until  com- 
munication could  be  had  with  Gates. 

Morgan  had  crossed  the  creek  towards  Saratoga  Lake  and,  screened 
by  the  woods,  posted  his  riflemen  on  the  heights  in  the  rear  and  flank 
of  the  British  camp.  This  was  strongly  intrenched  on  the  hill  near  the 
river,  but  was  now  entirely  surrounded  by  the  patriots,  and  all  com- 
munication destroyed  either  with  the  north  or  south ;  and  it  was  soon 
found  by  the  British  that  their  camp  was  exposed  in  every  part  to  the 
fire  of  cannon  or  riflemen. 

Sir  Henry  Clinton,  having  obtained  reinforcements  from  England, 
at  last  came  storming  up  the  Hudson  as  though  he  would  annihilate  all 
obstacles  between  himself  and  Burgoyne.  He  obtained  possession  of 
Fort  Montgomery  and  Clinton,  although  they  were  most  courageously 
defended  by  Gov.  George  Clinton  and  his  brother  James,  who  very 
skillfully  saved  their  garrisons.  The  British  easily  destroyed  the  ob- 
structing boom  across  the  river,  and  Putnam,  deceived  and  confused  by 
their  manoeuvres,  left  the  enemy  to  sail  unmolested  to  Albany.  Sat- 
isfied with  the  destruction  of  the  American  vessels,  and  having  burned 
Kingston,  the  seat  of  the  government,  and  ravaged  the  stately  manor 
houses  of  Livingston  and  other  aristocratic  republicans,  the  Englishman 
returned  to  New  York,  and  left  Burgoyne  unassisted  in  his  perilous 
position. 

He  had  now  only  five  days'  rations  for  his  army,  and  not  a  spot  where 
he  could  hold  a  council  of  officers  in  safety.  On  the  13th  he  called  them 
together  to  consider  their  desperate  condition,  and  there  "General 
Burgoyne  solemnly  declared,  that  no  one  but  himself  should  answer  for 
the  situation  in  which  the  army  found  itself."  Three  questions  were 
then  submitted  for  their  consideration.  "1st.  Whether  military  his- 
tory furnished  any  example  of  an  army  having  capitulated  under  sim- 
imar  circumstances.  3d.  Whether  the  capitulation  of  an  army  placed 
in  such  a  situation  would  be  disgraceful.  3d.  Whether  the  arm)'  was 
actually  in  such  a  situation  as  to  be  obliged  to  capitulate."     These  were 


62  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

answered  in  the  affirmative,  and  there  was  a  unanimous  declaration  in 
favor  of  capitulation.  The  terms  of  surrender  were  then  discussed. 
A  messenger  was  sent  to  General  Gates,  who  agreed  to  an  armistice. 
A  meeting  of  officers  to  represent  the  commanders  of  the  respective 
armies  was  arranged  to  take  place  on  the  spot  where  General  Schuyler's 
house  had  stood. 

The  terms  proposed  by  Burgoyne  required  that  his  army,  upon  its 
surrender,  should  be  marched  to  Boston,  and  from  there  be  shipped  to 
England.  Gates  refused  this  proposition, and  demanded  an  unconditional 
surrender  as  prisoners  of  war.  Burgoyne  rejected  these  terms  indig- 
nantly. 

The  armistice  ceased.     Burgoyne  prepared  for  the  worst. 

Gates  now  heard  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton  at  the  Highlands.  His  fears 
were  aroused;  he  dispatched  a  message  to  Burgoyne,  in  which  he 
agreed  to  almost  every  ar-ticle  of  the  first  proposition.  Burgoyne  gave 
his  assent  to  these  terms.  Some  further  negotiations  were  in  progress 
in  regard  to  points  of  minor  importance.  News  of  Sir  Henry  Clin- 
ton's expedition  now  reached  Burgoyne.  Again  delusive  hopes  awoke 
in  his  heart.  He  hurriedly  called  his  officers  together  to  consider 
whether  they  could  honorably  withdraw  from  the  agreement  to  sur- 
render. It  was  held  that  honor  held  them  fast,  although  the  papers 
were  not  signed.  On  the  17th  of  October,  the  capitulation,  or  conven- 
tion, as  Burgoyne  stipulated  it  should  be  called,  received  the  signa- 
tures of  the  two  commanders.  Gates  and  Burgoyne. 

The  British  army  were  now  marched  out  of  their  camps,  under  their 
own  officers,  to  a  plain  near  old  Fort  Hardy,  where  the  Fish  Kill  emp- 
ties into  the  Hudson.  Here,  in  the  presence  of  only  one  American,  an 
aid-de-camp  of  Gates,  they  laid  down  their  arms.  Generals  Burgoyne, 
Riedesel  and  Phillips  now  passed  over  the  Fish  Kill  to  the  headquar- 
ters of  Gates,  who  rode  out  to  meet  them  accompanied  by  his  aids. 
When  they  met,  Burgoyne  said:  "  The  fortunes  of  war.  General,  have 
made  me  your  prisoner;"  to  which  Gates  replied:  "I  shall  ever  be 
ready  to  bear  testimony  that  it  has  not  been  through  any  fault  of  your 
excellency." 

The  American  army  were  drawn  up  in  ranks  on  either  side  of  the 
road.  The  whole  army  of  British  prisoners,  preceded  by  a  guard  bear- 
ing the  stars  and  stripes,  and  a  band  playing  Yankee  Doodle,  were 
marched  between  the  files  of  their  victors. 

Gates  and  Burgoyne  stood  contemplating  the  scene.    In  the  presence 


CAPITULATION  OF  BURGOYNE.  G3 

of  both  armies,  General  Burgoyne  stepped  out,  and  drawing  his  sword 
from  its  scabbard,  presented  it  to  General  Gates;  he  received  it,  and 
silently  returned  it  to  the  vanquished  general. 

The  surrendered  army  numbered  5,791  men,  six  of  whom  were  mem- 
bers of  the  British  Parliament.  A  splendid  train  of  brass  artillery, 
consisting  of  forty-two  pieces,  together  with  nearly  5,000  muskets,  and 
an  immense  quantity  of  ammunition  and  stores,  was  the  further  fruit 
of  this  famous  victory. 

The  importance  of  this  triumph  upon  the  fortunes  of  the  American 
struggle  for  independence  is  undisputed.  The  battle  of  Saratoga  is  de- 
clared upon  high  authority  to  be  one  of  the  fifteen  decisive  battles  of 
the  world,  "the  reactionary  feeling  it  called  forth  in  the  colonies, 
after  the  disasters  and  anxieties  of  the  campaign  of  the  previous  year 
in  Canada,  strengthened  public  sentiment  in  favor  of  the  patriotic 
cause,  and  filled  the  depleted  ranks  of  the  army.  It  led  directly  to  the 
indispensable  assistance  received  from  France,  and  thus  to  the  later 
recognition  of  other  foreign  governments.  As  in  the  last  French  and 
English  war,  the  campaign  of  1759,  which  embraced  the  rocky  heights 
of  Quebec,  the  great  water  line  of  New  York,  and  the  western  posts  on 
the  Great  Lakes,  was  the  decisive  campaign ;  so  by  this  one  of  1777, 
similar  in  construction,  it  was  proposed  by  the  English  king  and  his 
American  minister.  Lord  Germaine,  to  divide  and  crush  the  colonies 
and  terminate  the  war. 

Articles  of  Convention  between  Lieut. -Gen.  Burgoyne  and  Major- 
Gen.  Gates: 

I.  The  troops  under  Lieut. -Gen.  Burgoyne-  to  march  out  of  their  camp  with  the 
honors  of  war,  and  the  artillery  of  intrenchments  to  the  verge  of  the  river  where 
the  old  fort  stood,  where  the"  arms  and  artillery  are  to  be  left ;  the  arms  to  be  piled 
by  word  of  command  from  their  own  officers. 

II.  A  free  passage  to  be  granted  to  the  army  under  Lieut. -Gen.  Burgoyne  to  Great 
Britain,  on  condition  of  not  serving  again  in  North  America  during  the  present  con- 
test; and  the  port  of  Boston  is  assigned  for  the  entry  of  transports  to  receive  the 
troops  whenever  Gen.  Howe  shall  so  order. 

III.  Should  any  cartel  take  place  by  which  the  army  under  Gen.  Burgoyne,  or  any 
part  of  it,  may  be  exchanged,  the  foregoing  articles  to  be  void  as  far  as  such  exchange 
should  be  made. 

IV.  The  army  under  Lieut.-Gen.  Burgoyne  to  march  to  Massachusetts  Bay  by  the 
easiest,  most  expeditious  and  convenient  route,  and  be  quartered  in,  near,  or  as  con- 
venient as  possible  to  Boston  that  the  departure  of  the  troops  may  not  be  delayed 
when  the  transports  shall  arrive  to  receive  them. 

V.  The  troops  to  be  supplied  on  their  march,  and  during  their  being  in  quarters, 


64  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

with  provisions  by  Gen.  Gates's  orders,  at  the  same  rate  of  rations  as  the  troops  of 
his  own  army ;  and,  if  possible,  the  officers'  horses  and  cattle  are  to  be  supplied  with 
forage  at  the  usual  rates. 

VI.  All  officers  to  retain  their  carriages,  battle  horses,  and  other  cattle,  and  no 
baggage  to  be  molested  or  searched,  Lieut. -Gen.  Burgoyne  giving  his  honor  that 
there  are  no  public  stores  secreted  therein.  Major-Gen.  Gates  will,  of  course,  take 
the  necessary  measures  for  the  due  performance  of  this  article.  Should  any  car- 
riages be  wanted  during  the  transportation  of  officers'  baggages,  they  are,  if  possi- 
ble, to  be  supplied. 

VII.  Upon  the  march,  and  during  the  time  the  army  shall  remain  in  quarters  in 
Massachusetts  Bay,  the  officers  are  not,  as  far  as  circumstances  will  admit,  to  be  sep- 
arated from  their  men.  The  officers  are  to  be  quartered  according  to  rank,  and  are 
not  to  be  hindered  from  assembling  their  men  for  roll  call  and  the  necessary  purposes 
of  regularity. 

VIII.  All  corps  whatever  of  Gen.  Burgoyne's  army,  whether  composed  of  sailors, 
bateaux  men,  artificers,  drivers,  independent  companies,  and  followers  of  the  army, 
of  whatever  country,  shall  be  included  in  every  respect  as  British  subjects. 

IX.  All  Canadians  and  persons  belonging  to  the  Canadian  establishment,  consist- 
ing of  sailors,  bateaux  men,  artificers,  drivers,  independent  companies,  and  many 
other  followers  of  the  army  who  come  under  the  head  of  no  particular  description, 
are  to  be  permitted  to  return  there ;  they  are  to  be  conducted  immediately  by  the 
shortest  route  to  the  first  British  post  on  Lake  George,  are  to  be  supplied  with  pro- 
visions in  the  same  manner  as  other  troops,  are  to  be  bound  by  the  same  conditions 
of  not  serving  during  the  present  contest  in  North  America. 

X.  Passports  to  be  immediately  granted  for  three  officers,  not  exceeding  the  rank 
of  captain,  who  shall  be  appointed  by  Lieut.-Gen.  Burgoyne,  to  carry  dispatbhes  to 
Sir  William  Howe,  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  and  to  Great  Britain,  by  way  of  New  York, 
and  Major-Gen.  Gates  engages  the  public  faith  that  these  dispatches  shall  not  be 
opened.  These  officers  are  to  set  out  immediately  after  receiving  their  dispatches, 
and  to  travel  the  shortest  route,  and  in  the  most  expeditious  manner. 

XI.  During  the  stay  of  the  troops  in  Massachusetts  Bay,  the  officers  are  to  be  ad- 
mitted on  parole,  and  are  to  be  allowed  to  wear  their  side  arms. 

XII.  Should  the  army  under  Lieut.-Gen.  Burgoyne  find  it  necessary  to  send  for 
their  clothing  and  other  baggage  to  Canada,  they  are  to  be  permitted  to  do  so  in  the 
most  convenient  manner,  and  the  necessary  passports  granted  for  that  purpose. 

XIII.  These  articles  are  to  be  mutually  signed  and  exchanged  to-morrow  morning 
at  nine  o'clock,  arid  the  troops  under  Lieut.-Gen.  Burgoyne  are  to  march  out  of  their 
intrenchments  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

Signed,  Horatio  Gates,  Major.-Gen. 

Signed,  J,  Burgoyne,  Lieut.-Gen. 

Saratoga,  Oct.  16,  1777. 


THE  ATTACK  ON  BALLSTON.  65 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Attack  on  the  Ballston  Settlement  by  Munroe  and  His  Band  of  Tories  and 
Indians— Capture  of  Col.  James  Gordon  and  Others  and  Their  Imprisonment  in 
Canada  —Escape  of  the  Captives  and  Their  Return  to  Their  Homes— The  Invasion 
Under  the  Command  of  Joseph  Bettys,  the  Notorious  Renegade— His  Valiant  Serv- 
ices to  the  American  Government — Piqued  at  Being  Unrewarded  for  His  Valor,  He 
Turns  Spy  in  the  Service  of  the  British— His  Capture— Tried  and  Executed  as  a 
Spy — Major  Mitchell's  Peril — End  of  the  War. 

For  three  years  after  the  Burgoyne  invasion  Saratoga  county  enjoyed 
comparative  peace,  though  the  war  continued  through  other  parts  of 
the  colonies.  General  Gates  had  been  given  command  of  the  Army  of 
the  South,  though  he  had  demonstrated  little  but  incompetence.  Corn- 
wallis  had  pressed  a  vigorous  campaign  in  the  South  and  had  com- 
pletely subdued  South  Carolina.  Georgia  had  already  fallen  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy  and  North  Carolina  was  aboat  to  be  invaded. 
France  had  come  to  our  rescue  a  little  more  than  a  year  after  the  vic- 
tory at  Saratoga,  but  still  the  patriots  lost  ground  everywhere.  The 
inhabitants  of  Saratoga  county  shared  in  the  general  gloom  which 
enshrouded  the  nation.  Then,  while  the  whole  country  was  expe- 
riencing the  shock  caused  by  the  intelligence  of  the  treachery  of  the 
gallant  Arnold,  who  had  done  so  much  to  save  the  day  at  Saratoga,  the 
country  suffered  from  the  British  raid  known  as  the  Northerfi  Invasion 
of  1780. 

The  British  g'overnment  intended  to  make  this  invasion  one  of  con- 
siderable strength  and  importance,  but  the  original  plans  failed  to  carry 
and  the  blow  spent  itself  in  an  attack  on  settlements  in  the  central  part 
of  the  county — at  Ballston.  The  British  hoped,  with  the  assistance  of 
Canadian  militia  and  a  band  of  Canadian  Indians,  to  subdue  at  least  the 
northern  part  of  the  colony.  They  also  believed  that  many  disaffected 
persons  residing  in  the  valleys  of  the  Hudson  and  Mohawk  could  be  in- 
duced to  join  the  royal  cause.  Many  of  the  men  were  in  distant  parts 
of  the  country  engaged  in  warfare,  and  the  opportunity  for  conquering 
the  northern  country  seemed  to  be  ripe.  The  Albany  authorities  had 
been  put  on  their  guard  regarding  this  contemplated  invasion  early  in 

5 


66  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  summer  of  1780,  but  the  details  of  the  plan  could  not  be  learned. 
The  summer  months  passed  with  nothing  alarming  except  one  or  two 
small  raids  in  the  Mohawk  valley,  and  it  was  confidently  believed  that, 
with  the  approach  of  winter,  nothing  would  be  done  by  the  enemy  in 
these  latitudes. 

But  the  Americans  reckoned  falsely.  Early  in  October,  1780,  Major 
Carleton  left  Canada  at  the  head  of  an  expedition,  entering  New  York 
by  way  of  Lake  Champlain.  At  Crown  Point  two  hundred  men  were 
landed  for  the  purpose  of  proceeding  either  to  Schenectady  or  Ballston. 
The  main  body,  about  eight  hundred  men,  was  reserved  to  attack  Fort 
Anne  and  Fort  George.  The  first  detafchment  was  in  charge  of  Cap- 
tain Munroe,  a  Tory,  who  before  the  war  had  been  a  trader  at  Sche- 
nectady and  had  been  more  or  less  actively  interested  in  the  settlement 
of  Saratoga  county.  It  consisted  of  a  few  men  from  Sir  John  John- 
son's corps,  a  number  of  rangers  (some  of  whom  were  refugees  from 
the  settlement  at  Ballston),  and  a  party  of  Mohawk  Indians  headed  by 
"Captain  John,"  their  chief.  Munroe's  orders  were  to  proceed  to- 
wards Schenectady  and  reconnoiter.  If  conditions  were  favorable,  that 
village  was  to  be  attacked.  If  not  the  band  should  fall  upon  Ballston, 
plunder,  burn  and-  take  prisoners,  but  to  kill  no  one  unless  attacked  or 
resisted. 

Major  Carleton's  command  moved  rapidly  to  the  attack  of  Foit  Anne, 
which  surrendered  upon  demand  October  10.  The  British  burned  the 
fort  and  made  the  garrison  prisoners.  The  next  day  the  garrison  at 
Fort  George  also  capitulated  after  a  short  engagement,  and  this  fort 
likewise  was  destroyed.  During  his  brief  stay  in  this  vicinity  Carleton 
sent  out  numerous  marauding  parties,  who  destroyed  by  fire  all  the 
property  belonging  to  patriots  they  could  find,  principally  in  the  west- 
ern part  of  Washington  county,  in  Warren  county  and  in  the  extreme 
eastern  part  of  Saratoga  county.  About  the  middle  of  the  month  this 
expedition  returned  to  Canada,  having  accomplished  little  except  the 
destruction  of  property  belonging  to  American  farmers. 

But  the  detachment  under  the  Tory,  Munroe,  met  with  more  exciting 
times.  They  followed  the  old  Indian  trail,  crossing  the  Sacandaga  in 
the  town  of  Hadley,  passing  through  Corinth  and  Greenfield,  and  en- 
camped for  several  days  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  town  of  Milton. 
They  remained  hidden  in  the  woods,  nobody  knowing  of  their  presence 
except  some  Tories,  who  kept  them  supplied  with  provisions.  Here 
learning  through. scouts  and  Tories,  that  the  small  fort  at  Ballston  had 


CAPTURE  OF  COLONEL  GORDEN.  67 

been  garrisoned  by  two  hundred  militiamen  from  Schenectady,  and 
that  Schenectady,  too,  was  well  defended,  they  concluded  to  proceed 
no  farther  than  the  mansion  of  Colonel  Gordon. ' 

The  inhabitants  of  Ballston  had  been  expecting  an  invasion  of  this 
character.  During  the  early  fall  some  of  them  even  abandoned  their 
homes  at  night  and  lodged  in  the  woods,  carrying  with  them  many  of 
their  valuables.  They  had  been  frightened  by  the  massacre  at  Cherry 
Valley  two  years  before  and  the  more  recent  ravages  of  the  Mohawk 
valley;  but  as  the  autumn  progressed  and  the  long  expected  attack  did . 
not  come,  their  confidence  in  their  security  returned.  Colonel  Gordon 
had  been  serving  as  a  member  of  the  Assembly,  and  during  September 
and  October  he  had  been  at  Kingston,  then  the  capital  of  the  State, 
attending  a  special  session  of  the  Legislature  which  had  been  convened 
by  Governor  Clinton.  This  session  adjourned  October  10  and  he  started 
for  home,  reaching  Ballston  October  13.  Munroe  was  informed  of  his 
return  and  made  preparations  to  capture  him. 

On  the  evening  of  October  16  the  invading  band  stopped  at  the  resi- 
dence of  James  McDonald,  which  stood  about  a  mile  west  of  Court 
House  hill.  From  that  point  McDonald,  a  Tory  who  hated  the  patriot 
Gordon,  led  the  party  through  the  woods  to  the  rear  of  Gordon's  home. 
Awakened  by  the  crashing  in  of  his  windows,  the  gallant  patriot  sprang 
from  his  bed,  in  which  his  wife  and  young  daughter  lay,  and  partly 
dressing  himself,  entered  the  hall,  where  he  was  confronted  by  a  num- 
ber of  Indians.  One  of  them  aimed  a  terrific  blow  with  a  tomahawk, 
at  Gordon's  head,  but  a  Tory  officer  caught  the  savage's  arm  in  time  to 
prevent  the  murder.  The  party  then  began  to  plunder  the  house,  and 
several  made  an  attempt  to  fire  it,  but  were  prevented  from  so  doing 
by  some  of  the  officers.  Colonel  Gordon  was  made  a  prisoner,  as  were 
two  of  his  servants,  John  Parlow  and  Jack  Colbraith,  and  three  negro 
slaves,  Nero,  Jacob  and  Ann. 

Just  before  the  party  reached  the  main  road  Isaac  Stow,  Colonel 
Gordon's  miller,  came  running  towards  them  shouting:  "Colonel 
Gordon,  save  yourself !  The  Indians!"  But  seeing  his  employer  a  cap- 
tive he  turned  to  run,  when  he  was  killed  and  scalped  by  a  savage. 

While  one  section  of  the  invading  party  attacked  Gordon's  house,  a 

*  T^is  mansion  was  located  on  the  Middle  Line  road,  on  the  estate  now  owned  by  George  T. 
and  Roland  W.  Smith,  sons  of  the  late  Andrew  Smith  of  Ballston  Spa.  The  fort  mentioned 
above  was  constructed  of  oak  logs  surrounded  with  picliets.  It  stood  on  the  southwest  corner 
of  the  square,  a  mile  and  a  half  froni  Gordon's  house,  at  tlje  red  meeting  house,  then  in  course  of 
construction. 


68  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

part  of  them  crossed  the  Mourning  Kill,  which  flowed  near  Gordon's 
home,  and  captured  Captain  Collins  and  his  female  slave.  Manasseh 
Collins,  son  of  the  captain,  succeeded  in  escaping  through  an  upper 
window  and  ran  to  the  fort  and  gave  the  alarm.  Meanwhile,  the 
enemy  continued  up  the  Middle  Line  road  and  captured  Thomas  Bar- 
num,  John  Davis,  Elisha  Benedict  and  his  three  sons,  Caleb,  Elias  and 
Eelix  Benedict;  Dublin,  Mr.  Benedict's  slave;  Edward  A.  Watrous, 
Paul  Pierson  and  his  young  son  John,  John  Higby  and  his  son  Lewis, 
George  Kennedy,  Jabez  Patchin,  Josiah  Hollister,  Ebenezer  Sprague 
and  his  sons,  John  and  Elijah  Sprague;  Thomas  Kennedy,  Enoch 
Wood,  and  a  man  named  Palmatier,  living  near  Milton  Centre. 

While  the  marauders  were  between  the  homes  of  John  Higby  and 
George  Kennedy,  in  the  town  of  Milton,  about  fifty  of  them  in  command 
of  Lieutenant  Frazer,  a  Tory  who  had  resided  near  Burnt  Hills,  left 
the  main  party  and  attacked  the  residence  of  George  Scott.  The  latter, 
awakened  by  his  watchdog,  armed  himself  with  his  musket  and  went 
to  the  door.  Not  obeying  the  command  to  throw  down  his  gun,  he  was 
almost  instantly  prostrated  by  the  blows  from  three  tomahawks  thrown 
at  him  at  the  same  moment.  Lieutenant  Frazer  and  Sergeant  Spring- 
steed,  a  refugee  who  had  formerly  been  in  Scott's  employ,  prevented 
the  savages  from  scalping  the  prostrate  patriot,  though  all  believed 
him  to  be  dying.  The  party  left  and  joined  the  main  body  after  pillag- 
ing the  house,  leaving  Scott  in  a  dying  condition,  as  they  believed.' 

About  daylight  the  invaders  and  their  captives  crossed  the  Kayade- 
rosseras  near  Milton  Centre  and  prepared  for  the  march  to  Canada. 
Munroe,  the  Tory  commander,  informed  his  little  army  that  they  prob- 
ably would  be  pursued,  and  gave  orders  that,  should  any  sign  of  pursuit 
be  discovered,  every  prisoner  must  be  killed.'     But  there  was  no  pur- 

1  George  Scott  miraculously  recovered,  lived  for  some  years  after  this,  and  died  May  21, 1782, 
aged  sixty  years.  His  children  were  thenceforward  brought  up  and  educated  by  the  Gordon 
family. 

2  Munroe  was  subsequently  dismissed  from  the  British  service  in  disgrace  for  having  given 
such  an  inhuman  order.  His  property  had  already  been  confiscated  by  the  American  govern- 
ment, so  that  he  was  left  without  property  and  with  a  stain  upon  his  name  from  which  he  never 
recovered. 

The  first  man  in  front  of  Gordon  was  a  British  regular,  a  German,  who  was  next  behind  Cap- 
tain Collins  and  had  charge  of  him.  Gordon's  captor  was  a  ferocious  savage.  Gordon  afterward 
related  that  he  heard  the  soldier  say  to  Captain  Collins :  "  I  have  been  through  the  late  war  in 
Europe,  and  through  many  battles,  but  I  never  before  have  heard  such  a  bloody  order  as  this.  I 
can  kill  in  the  heat  of  battle,  but  not  in  cold  blood.  You  need  not  fear  me  for  I  will  not  obey  the 
order.  But  the  Indian  in  charge  of  Gordon  is  thirsting  for  his  blood,  and  the  moment  a  gun  is 
fired  Gordon  is  a  dead  man."  The  prisoners  expected  that  the  troops  from  the  fort  would  over- 
take them  and  fire  upon  the  party,  and  that  every  captive  would  be  killed. 


THE  CAPTURE  OF  COLONEL  GORDON.  69 

suit.  That  night  the  party  encamped  about  two  miles  north  of  Lake 
Desolation,  where  Munroe  released  Ebenezer  Sprague,  Paul  fierson 
and  his  son  John,  and  George  Kennedy. 

In  the  mean  time  Gordon  had  succeeded  in  sending  back  a  private 
message  advising  the  forces  at  the  fort  of  Munroe's  inhuman  order  and 
requesting  that  no  attempt  at  rescue  be  made.  Captain  Stephen  Ball, 
at  the  head  of  the  militia  at  the  fort,  had  already  started  out  to  effect 
the  release  of  the  prisoners ;  but  fortunately  Gordon's  messenger  met 
the  former  in  the  town  of  Milton  and  the  relief  expedition  returned  to 
the  fort.  The  retreating  Tory  and  Indian  force  continued  the  march 
northward  with  their  captives.  Arriving  at  Bulwagga  bay  October  2i, 
they  joined  Carleton's  division  of  the  army  and  proceeded  down  Lake 
Champlain  to  St.  John's,  and  thence  to  Montreal.  Arriying  in  that 
city  the  patriots  were  imprisoned  in  the  RecoUet  convent,  but  were 
soon  afterward  transferred  to  a  jail.  After  remaining  in  Montreal  until 
spring  Colonel  Gordon  was  removed  to  Quebec,  where  he  was  kept  in 
prison  for  two  years.  He  was  afterward  transferred  to  the  Isle  of  Or- 
leans, but  subsequently  was  ransomed  for  ;^3,000  by  his  friend  James 
Ellice,  a  member  of  the  trading  firm  of  Phynn  &  Ellice  of  Schenectady, 
with  whom  Gordon  had  had  large  commercial  transactions. 

Another  brief  account  of  this  thrilling  incident  follows:' 

In  October  of  this  year  ['1779],  the  enemy,  about  two  hundred  strong,  under  Major 
Monroe,  consisting  of  British  regulars,  tories  and  Indians,  entered  the  Ballston 
settlement.  An  invasion  had  been  anticipated,  and  two  hundred  Schenectada 
militia  were  sent  to  aid  in  protecting  the  settlement.  A  church,  called  afterwards 
the  red  meeting-house,  was  being  erected  at  the  time,  and  opposite  and  near  it,  a 
dwelling  owned  by  a  Mr.  Weed  was  inclosed  in  pickets,  at  which  place  the  Sche- 
nectada troops  were  stationed.  About  the  same  time,  the  Ballston  militia,  thinking 
the  troops  sent  to  aid  them  were  not  sufficiently  courageous,  erected  a  small  defence 
on  Pearson's  Hill,  afterwards  called  Court  House  Hill,  nearly  two  miles  in  advance 
of  the  stockade  named,  and  where  the  invaders  were  expected  to  enter.  The  little 
fortress  on  the  hill  was  guarded  several  nights,  but  as  the  enemy  did  not  appear  it 
was  abandoned. 

The  second  night  (Sunday  night)  after  the  Ballston  troops  dispersed,  the  enemy 
broke  into  the  settlement.  They  made  their  first  appearance  at  Gordon's  Mills,  sit- 
uated on  a  stream  called  the  Morning  kill,  entering  the  public  road  at  the  foot  of  the 
hill  noticed.  Col.  James  Gordon,  who  commanded  the  Ballston  militia,  and  Capt. 
Collins,  an  active  partisan  officer,  living  near  him,  were  both  surprised  at  their 
dwellings,  and  borne  into  captivity,  with  nearly  thirty  of  their  neighbors.     On  the 

'This  account  is  taken  from  the  "History  of  Schoharie  County,  and  Border  Wars  of  New 
Yori,"  by  Jeptha  R.  Simms,  published  in  1845.  This  author  gives  1779  as  the  year  in  which  this 
invasion  took  place. 


70  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

arrival  of  the  enemy  at  the  house  of  Capt.  Colhbs,  Mann  Collins,  his  son,  escaped 
from  it,  and  gave  the  alarm  to  John  and  Stephen  Ball,  his  brothers-in-law.  The 
latter  mounted  a  horse,  and  rode  to  the  house  of  Maj.  Andrew  Mitchell  (Major 
under  Col.  Gordon)  who,  with  his  family,  fled  into  the  fields,  and  escaped.  The 
Balls  also  communicated  intelligence  of  the  enemy's  proximity  to  the  Schenectada 
troops  at  the  Fort. 

At  Gordon's  Mills,  one  Stowe,  his  miller,  was  captured  on  the  arrival  of  Monroe's 
party,  and,  for  some  reason,  soon  after  liberated.  Feeling  himself  obligated  to  Col. 
Gordon,  he  thought  it  his  duty  to  inform  him  of  his  danger,  and  afford  him  a  chance 
of  escape.  Crossing  a  field  with  that  laudable  intent,  he  met  an  Indian,  who,  seeing 
a  fugitive,  as  he  supposed,  attempting  to  escape,  thrust  a  spontoon  through  his  body, 
and  instantly  killed  him. 

Great  numbers  of  cattle  and  hogs  were  driven  away  at  this  time,  or  killed;  several 
dwellings  and  out-buildings  burned,  and  the  -yyhole  settlementgreatly  alarmed  by  the 
invaders,  who  proceeded  directly  back  to  Canada  by  the-  eastern  route.  Among  the 
dwellings  burned  were  those  of  one  Walters,  one  Pearson,  several  Spragues  and 
several  Patchins.  Two  dwellings,  a  little  north  of  the  present  residence  of  Judge 
Thompson,  owned  at  the  time  by  Kennedys,  escaped  the  torch,  as  they  had  a  friend 
among  the  invaders. 

The  troops  assembled  in  the  neighborhood  were  on  their  trail  by  daylight  on  Mon- 
day morning,  and  followed  some  distance ;  but  meeting  a  liberated  captive,  who  bore 
a  message  from  Col.  Gordon  advising  the  Americans  to  abandon  the  pursuit,  it  was 
given  over.  Why  the  message  was  sent,  I  am  not  informed,  but  presume  he  either 
thought  the  enemy  too  strong  to  warrant  it,  or  the  prisoners  in  danger  of  assassina- 
tion if  a  hasty  retreat  was  necessary.  Col.  Gordon  was  an  Irishman  by  birth,  and 
a  firm  patriot.  He  was  confined  in  a  Canadian  prison  for  several  years,  and  was  one 
of  a  party  of  six  or  eight  prisoners,  who  effected  their  escape  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
war,  and  after  much  suffering  succeeded  in  reaching  home.  Henry  and  Christian 
Banta,  Epenetus  White,  an  ensign  of  militia,  and  several  others,  neighbors  of  Col. 
G.,  and  captured  subsequently,  also  escaped  with  him.  Procuring  a  boat,  the  fugi- 
tives crossed  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  from  its  southern  shore  directed  their  steps 
through  the  forest,  coming  out  at  Passamaquoddy  Bay,  in  Maine,  where  they  found 
friends.  Before  reaching  a  dwelling  the  party  were  all  in  a  starving  condition,  and 
Col.  Gordon  gave  out,  and  was  left,  at  his  request,  by  his  friends,  who  proceeded  to 
a  settlement,  obtained  assistance,  returned,  and  bore  him  in  a  state  of  entire  help- 
lessness to  a  place  of  safety,  where  he  recovered. 

While  the  party  were  journeying  they  agreed  that  if  either  of  them  obtained  any- 
thing to  eat,  he  should  be  permitted  to  enjoy  or  distribute  it  as  he  chose.  In  the 
forest,  to  which  the  trapper  had  not  been  a  stranger,  one  of  the  number  found  a 
steel  trap,  in  which  an  otter  had  been  caught,  and  suffered  to  remain.  It  was  mostly 
in  a  state  of  decomposition.  The  leg  in  the  trap  was  whole,  however,  and  a  sight  of 
that.  Col.  Gordon  afterwards  assured  his  friends,  looked  more  inviting  to  him  than 
the  most  savory  dish  he  had  ever  beheld;  but  pinching  hunger  did  not  compel  a  vio- 
lation of  their  agreement— his  mouth  watered  in  vain,  and  the  finder  ate  his  dainty 
morsel  undisturbed.  When  the  fugitives  arrived  at  the  house,  and  asked  for  bread, 
the  woman  told  them  she  had  not  seen  a  morsel  in  three  years.  After  crossing  the 
St.  Lawrence,  two  Indians  accompanied  them  as  guides,  but  under  some  pretext 


CAREER  OF  JOE  BETTYS.  71 

left,  and  finally  abandoned  them.     The  party,  after  suffering  almost  incredible  hard- 
ships, all  reached  their  homes  in  Ballston  to  the  great  joy  of  the  friends. 

After  the  exciting  scenes  attending  the  invasion  of  October,  1780, 
the  inhabitants  of  the  county  were  left  in  comparative  peace,  though 
always  more  or  less  on  guard,  until  late  in  the  spring  of  1781.  At  that 
time  several  of  them  suffered  by  reason  of  the  raid  made,  under  the 
leadership  of  Joseph  Bettys,  by  about  thirty  refugees.  Bettys  was  the 
son  of  respectable  parents  residing  in  the  southern  part  of  the  Ballston 
district.  For  several  years  prior  to  and  during  the  Revolution  his 
father,  Joseph  Bettys,  kept  a  tavern  below  the  farm  now  owned  and 
occupied  by  Captain  Guy  Ellis  Baker. '  For  years  the  name  of  "Joe 
Bettys  "  was  a  source  of  terror  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  southern  part 
of  the  county. 

Joe  Bettys  was  a  young  man  of  unusual  intelligence,  brave  and  ath- 
letic. Knowing  him  to  be  possessed  of  these  traits.  Colonel  John  Ball, 
a  son  of  Rev.  Eliphalet  Ball,  who  then  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  regiment 
commanded  by  Col.  Wynkoop,  enlisted  the  daring  young  fellow  as  a 
sergeant  in  his  company.  Unfortunately,  however,  Bettys  was  soon 
reduced  to  the  ranks  because  of  having  been  insolent  to  an  officer  who, 
he  claimed,  offered  him  insult.  Fearful  that  he  might  cause  trouble. 
Lieutenant  Ball  procured  for  him  a  sergeantcy  in  the  Lake  Champlain 
fleet  commanded  by  General  Arnold.  This  was  in  1776.  In  the  fight 
which  occurred  the  next  year  between  the  British  and  American  fleets 
on  Lake  Champlain  he  distinguished  himself,  and  had  his  services  then 
rendered  been  properly  recognized  by  the  government,  he  probably 
never  would  have  turned  traitor.  After  fighting  desperately  until  every 
commissioned  officer  on  board  his  vessel  was  killed  or  wounded,  he 
assumed  command  himself,  and  continued  to  fight  with  such  courage 
and  recklessness  that  General  Waterbury,  who  was  second  in  command 
under  Arnold,  was  obliged  to  order  Bettys  and  the  remainder  of  his 
crew  on  board  his  own  vessel,  that  in  the  command  of  Bettys  being 
about  to  sink.  Soon  afterward,  the  American  fleet  having  become 
almost  annihilated,  it  was  surrendered,  the  prisoners  afterward  being 
paroled.  General  Waterbury  subsequently  said  that  he  never  saw  a 
man  behave  with  such  bravery  and  absolute  recklessness  as  did  Bettys 
during  this  fight,  and  that  his  great  courage  was  no  greater  than  the 
shrewdness  of  his  management. 

'  This  farm  is  commonly  known  as  the  Delavan  farm.  It  lies  on  the  west  side  o£  the  Middle 
Line  road,  south  of  Ballston  Centre. 


72  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Unfortunately  the  American  government  did  not  show  its  appreci- 
ation of  Bettys's  valorous  conduct  by  the  promotion  which  he  coveted, 
and  his  proud  spirit  and  uncontrollable  temper  led  him  to  forsake  the 
patriot  cause.  Going  to  Canada  he  offered  his  services  to  the  Loyal- 
ists, received  a  commission  as  ensign  in  the  British  army  and  at  once 
set  out  upon  his  self-imposed  career  as  a  spy  upon  the  movements  of 
his  former  neighbors  and  friends.  In  May,  1781,  at  the  head  of  about 
thirty  refugees,  he  made  his  famous  raid  into  the  Ballston  district 
and  captured  Consider  Chard,  Uri  Tracy,  Ephraim  Tracy,  Samuel 
Nash  and  Samuel  Patchin.  At  the  same  time  Epenetus  White,  Cap- 
tain Rumsey,  Henry  Banta,  Christian  Banta  and  several  others  were 
captured  on  the  east  side  of  Long  lake  by  a  Tory  subalterij  named 
Waltermeyer.  All  were  carried  in  captivity  to  Canada  except  Samuel 
Nash,  who  contrived  to  escape  near  Lake  Desolation. 

When  Col.  James  Gordon  was  removed  to  the  Isle  of  Orleans  a  year 
later,  he  found  here  several  other  Ballston  prisoners,  among  whom  were 
Epenetus  White,  John  Higby,  Enoch  Wood,  the  two  Banta  brothers, 
Uri  and  Ephraim  Tracy,  Edward  A.  Watrous,  John  Davis  and  three  or 
four  others.  They  finally  escaped,  in  1783,  as  has  been  described,  and 
returned  to  Ballston  after  indescribable  sufferings. 

Meantime,  soon  after  his  first  vindictive  attacks  upon  his  old  friends 
at  the  Ballston  settlement,  Joe  Bettys  was  captured  in  the  Hudson  val- 
ley, tried  by  court  martial  and  sentenced  to  be  hung  as  a  spy  at  West 
Point.  Washington  was  induced  to  pardon  him,  by  the  entreaties  of 
Bettys's  aged  parents  and  several  influential  Whigs,  and  the  young  dare- 
devil was  allowed  to  depart  with  a  severe  admonition.  But  his  too 
confiding  friends  soon  had  reason  to  repent  having  asked  for  executive 
clemency,  for  Bettys  was  as  bitter  towards  them  as  ever — even  more 
so.  After  his  narrow  escape  from  the  gallows  he  defiantly  set  at  work 
recruiting  soldiers  for  the  British  army  right  in  the  heart  of  the  scenes 
of  his  early  depredations,  planned  and  personally  headed  several  raids 
from  the  north,  and  on  every  possible  occasion  continued  to  act  as  a 
spy  for  the  king.  Attempt  after  attempt  to  capture  him  was  made, 
but  he  succeeded  in  eluding  his  pursuers,  even  when  they  felt  sure  they 
had  him  surrounded  within  a  short  distance  of  his  old  home. 

His  capture  was  not  effected  until  early  in  March,  1782,  when  he  was 
discovered  about  a  mile  west  of  the  present  site  of  Jonesville  near  the 
home  of  one  Fillmore,  a  lieutenant  in-  the  militia,  who  was  making 
maple  sugar  in  the  woods  near  by.     Fillmore  and  two  of  his  neighbors, 


CAREER  OF  JOE  BETTYS.  73 

Perkins  and  Carey,  captured  the  notorious  spy  and  renegade  while  he 
was  eating  his  breakfast  in  the  house  of  a  widow  named  Hawkins.  His 
rifle  lay  beside  him,  but  before  he  could  defend  himself  he  was  securely 
tied.  Expressing  a  desire  to  smoke,  his  captors  partially  unbound  him, 
when  he  went  to  the  fireplace  and,  taking  a  small  packet  from  his  to- 
bacco box,  threw  it  upon  the  live  coals.  Discovering  this  act  Carey 
pulled  the  packet  from  the  fire.  Examination  showed  it  to  be  a  small, 
flat  metallic  box  containing  a  paper  which  proved  to  be  a  cipher  dis- 
patch to  the  commander  of  the  British  forces  in  New  York.  The  box 
also  contained  an  order  on  the  mayor  of  New  York  for  ;^30  sterling,  to 
be  paid  Bettys  iipon  the  safe  delivery  of  the  dispatch.  The  prisoner 
begged  his  custodians  to  allow  him  to  burn  these  papers,  offering  them 
one  hundred  guineas  if  they  would  allow  him  to  do  so,  but  they  refused. 
He  then  exclaimed  in  despair:   "Then  I  am  a  dead  man!  " 

Bettys  was  at  once  taken  to  Albany  and  turned  over  to  the  military 
authorities  as  a  prisoner  of  war.  There  he  was  tried  by  a  court  mar- 
tial, convicted  of  being  a  spy  and  hanged.  With  his  capture  and  death 
the  inhabitants  of  Saratoga  county  ceased  to  suffer  from  the  depreda- 
tions of  bands  of  invaders,  and  peace  reigned  ever  afterward  within  the 
borders  of  the  county.' 

An  account  of  this  notorious  renegade  and  spy  is  contained  in  Jeptha 
R.  Simms's  "History  of  Schoharie  County,  and  Border  Wars  of  New 
York,"  published  in  1845.  It  contains  some  inaccuracies,  principally 
as  to  dates,  which  have  been  remedied  by  subsequent  research  on  the 
part  of  descendants  of  the  Gordon  and  Scott  families,  but  as  a  whole 
it  is  a  fairly  reliable  story  of  the  doings  of  this  terror  of  Revolutionary 
days.     Simms  says : 

In  the  fall  of  1780,  a  small  party  of  the  enemy,  a  dozen  or  more  in  number,  entered 
the  Ballston  settlement,  under  the  direction  of  Joseph  Bettys,  a  subaltern  officer  in 
the  British  service,  known  in  the  border  difficulties  by  the  familiar  name  of  Jo.  Bettys. 
He  resided  in  the  Ballston  settlement  previous  to  the  war,  and  when  the  contest  be- 
gan, took  up  arms  for  the  States,  but  afterwards  entered  the  British  service,  proving 
to  his  former  neighbors  a  source  of  frequent  terror. 

Major  Andrew  Mitchell,  of  Ballston,  having  visited  Schenectada  on  business,  there 
learned,  possibly  through  the  Oneida  runners,  thata  small  detachment,  mostly  tories, 
had  left  Canada,  the  destination  of  which  was  unknown.  In  the  afternoon,  Mitchell 
set  out  for  home  on  horseback,  accompanied  by  one  Armstrong,  a  neighbor.  After 
proceeding  several  miles,  and  arriving  on  the  north  side  of  Allplass  cre^k,  the  thought 

*  This  account  is  taken  largely  from  the  centennial  address  of  Judge  George  Gordon  Scott 
delivered  at  Ballston  Spa,  July  4,  1876. 


74  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

occurred  to  him,  that  possibly  he  njight  not  be  free  from  danger,  as  a  liberal  reward 
was  paid  for  the  persons  or  scalps  of  officers.  He  was  riding  through  the  woods  at 
the  time,  and  scarcely  had  the  thought  visited  his  mind,  which  caused  him  to  quicken 
the  speed  of  his  horse,  when  he  was  hailed  in  a  commanding  voice  to  stop,  by  a  man 
who  sprang  upon  a  fallen  tree  near  the  road.  The  Major  put  spurs  to  his  gallant 
steed  and  was  soon  out  of  sight  of  the  highwayman,  who  fired  at  him  as  he  passed. 
Armstrong  could  not  keep  up  with  his  companion,  but  as  his  person  was  not  sought 
for,  he  escaped  unmolested. 

Before  the  Revolution,  Jo.  Bettys  and  Jonathan  Miller,. another  celebrated  tory, 
dwelt,  one  on  each  side  of  Maj.  Mitchell.  After  the  transaction  occurred  which  is 
noticed  above,  it  was  satisfactorily  ascertained  that  the  man  who  fired  on  the  major, 
was  his  old  neighbor  Miller ;  who  had  accompanied  Bettys  in  his  expedition,  and  then 
had  at  his  beck  some  half  a  dozen  genial  spirits.  The  ground  being  sandy,  the 
horse's  hoofs  made  but  little  noise,  and  the  militia  officer  was  not  observed  until 
opposite  the  party,  secreted  on  both  sides  of  the  road  expressly  to  capture  him. 

An  enterprise  of  Bettys  in  the  Ballston  settlement,  within  a  few  days  of  the  affair 
relate^,  proved  mor^  successful.  He  surprised  and  captured  Aaron  Banta,  and  his 
sons,  Henry  and  Christian,  Ensign  Epenetus  White,  and  some  half  a  dozen  others. 
The  elder  Banta  was  left  on  parole,  and  the  rest  of  the  prisoners,  who  were  among 
the  best  citizens  in  the  vicinity,  hurried  off  to  Canada. 

Mr.  Simms  also  gives  the  following  account  of  the  occurrences  im- 
mediately succeeding  the  capture  of  Bettys: 

When  the  arrest  of  Bettys  became  known  in  the  Ballston  settlement,  Maj.  Mitchell 
enjoined  secrecy  in  the  affair,  rightly  conjecturing  that  he  had  not  traversed  the 
northern  forests  of  New  York  alone.  A  Mrs.  Camp  or  Van  Camp,  a  widow  living 
in  the  neighborhood,  had  a  son  in  the  British  service,  who  it  was  thought,  might 
possibly  have  accompanied  Bettys.  The  arrest  of  the  latter  having  been  kept  close 
during  the  day,  Kenathy  Gordon,  a  sergeant,  was  entrusted  by  Maj.  Mitchell  with 
the  search  to  be  made  the  same  night.  Attended  by  John  Sweatman  and  several 
other  fearless  neighbors,  properly  armed,  young  Gordon  gained  access  to  the  house 
of  Mrs.  Camp  after  bed  time,  and  enquired  for  her  son.  She  declared  ber  ignorance 
of  his  whereabouts,  pretended  to  be  highly  incensed  at  having  armed  men  enter  her 
dwelling  and  disturb  the  family  at  midnight,  and  still  more  on  being  suspected  of 
harboring  an  enemy. 

This  woman  talked  very  patriotic,  but  the  warmth  she  manifested  satisfied  the 
sergeant,  who  was  a  resolute  fellow,  that  her  son  was  in  the  house;  and  he  went  to 
the  fireplace,  seized  a  blazing  brand  and  started  up  stairs.  Young  Camp  and  Jona- 
than Miller  had  accompanied  Bettys  to  the  neighborhood,  and  were  then  in  an  upper 
room.  Hearing  the  noise  below  they  sprang  out  of  bed,  seized  their  guns  and 
leveled  them.  At  the  click  of  their  locks,  Gordon  jumped  down  stairs,  and  swore  if 
they  did  not  descend  and  surrender  themselves  prisoners  in  less  than  five  minutes, 
he  would  smoke  them  out.  Believing  he  would  execute  his  threat  and  burn  the 
house,  they  concealed  some  money  under  a  rafter,  and  then  came  down  and  submit- 
ted to  Gordon's  authority,  who  conducted  them  to  the  dwelling  of  Maj.  Mitchell 
where  they  were  secured  until  morning.    The  prisoners  had  not  the  least  suspicion 


CLOSE  OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  75 

that  Bettys  had  been  arrested,  until  after  they  were.  On  his  way  to  the  major's 
dwelling,  Miller  was  heard  to  say  he  would  rather  be  shot  than  to  enter  it.  Obadiah 
Miller,  a  brother  living  in  the  vicinity,  was  sent  for  in  the  morning,  and  unexpect- 
edly ushered  into  the  presence  of  his  tory  kinsman,  whose  visit  to  the  neighborhood 
was  unknown  to  him.  His  surprise  was  evidently  irksome,  and  he  trembled  like  a 
leaf.  It  leaked  out  in  the  sequel,  that  the  two  Millers  were  togtether  in  the  woods 
when  the  attempt  was  made  the  fall  before  to  capture  the  major,  which  he  possibly 
suspected.  The  two  prisoners  were  taken  to  Albany,  from  whence  they  were  liber- 
ated, or  effected  an  escape. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


Condition  of  the  Pioneers  at  the  Close  of  the  Revolutionary  War — Many  Homes 
Devastated,  and  Many  Families  Bereft  of  Their  Means  of  Support — Slow  Progress 
of  Civilization  in  the  County  During  the  War — Development  of  the  Various  Com- 
munities from  the  War  Period  to  the  Close  of  the  Eighteenth  Century — The  March 
of  Civilization  Northward  Along  the  Valley  of  the  Hudson — Some  of  the  Early  In- 
habitants of  the  Various  Towns,  and  Their  Share  in  the  Development  and  Pros- 
perity of  the  County.  ' 

With  the  peace  of  1783  and  the  acknowledgment  of  the  independence 
of  the  United  States  of  America  came  a  feeling  of  absolute  security  to 
the  inhabitants  of  Saratoga  county,  in  common  with  the  rest  of  the 
country.  But  even  before  the  close  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution  com- 
parative peace  reigned  within  the  borders  of  the  county,  excepting  an 
occasional  slight  menace  from  the  Indians. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  county  were  in  a  sad  condition  at  the  close  of 
the  war,  however.  Hundreds  of  them  had  been  massacred  or  ta)cen 
prisoners  by  the  British  or  their  Indian  allies,  scores  of  the  best  farm 
houses  had  been  pillaged  and  destroyed  by  the  torch,  the  ripening 
crops  seldom  had  been  allowed  to  come  to  full  maturity  and  evidences 
of  great  poverty  were  noticeable  everywhere.  Many  families  had  been 
bereft  of  those  members  upon  whom  they  depended  for  support — the 
fathers  and  older  sons;  and  those  who  were  not  in  mourning  were  suf- 
fering by  reason  of  the  absence  of  the  greatly  needed  onep  on  distant 
fields  of  battle  or  as  prisoners  of  war.  Few,  if  any,  settlements  had 
been  made  in  the  county;  but  with  the  cessation  of  hostilities  the 
fathers  and  sons  whose  lives  had  been  preserved  returned  to  their 
homes,  and  strangers  soon  followed  them  to  seek  homes  in  a  region  of 


76  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

country  which  was  becoming  famed  for  its  fine  farming  lands,  its  salu- 
brious climate,  its  healthful  mineral  springs,  and  finally,  its  nearness 
to  markets  for  their  produce  and  the  headwaters  of  navigation  on  the 
Hudson. 

We  have  traced,  as  far  as  the  existing  records  enable  us  to  do  so,  the 
settlement  of  the  county  prior  to  the  beginning  of  the  Revolutionary 
war.  It  will  now  be  our  endeavor  to  note  the  progress  of  civilization 
in  the  county  during  and  from  the  close  of  the  great  conflict  up  .to  the 
close  of  the  eighteenth  century.  It  is  manifestly  impossible  to  give  the 
the  names  of  all  the  settlers  during  that  period  of  seventeen  years,  but 
the  development  of  the  various  communities  in  the  county  will  be  fol- 
lowed as  closely  as  practicable  for  a  book  of  record  of  this  character. 

WATERFORD. 

Perhaps  in  no  other  section  of  the  county  was  the  increase  of  popula- 
tion and  the  general  industrial  development  more  marked  than  in  the 
town  of  Waterford.  The  site  of  the  village,  occupying  the  southeast- 
ern quarter  of  the  town,  was  purchased  in  1784  by  Col.  Jacobus  Van 

Schoonhoven, Middlebrook,  Judge  White,  Ezra  Hickok  and  several 

others,  principally  persons  who  had  migrated  there  from  Connecticut. 
Then  began  the  modern'  settlement  of  the  community,  which  had 
almost  stood  still  for  a  century  by  reason  of  the  selfish  stand  taken  by 
the  earliest  Dutch  property  owners.  Immediately  after  the  purchase 
of  this  property  by  the  persons  named  above,  the  survey  of  the  new 
village  was  made  and  trade  with  the  settlers  in  the  county  near  by  be- 
gan to  increase  at  a  gratifying  rate.  By  reason  of  its  geographical  sit- 
uation, and  the  broad  mindedness  and  enterprise  of  its  founders,  the 
new  village  seemed  destined  to  become  one  of  considerable  commercial 
importance.  Its  fame  began  to  spread  and  merchants,  produce  buy- 
ers and  other  classes  of  business  men  began  to  locate  in  the  place. 

Among  the  early  merchants  of  Waterford  was  the  firm  of  Moses  and 
Ira  Scott,  merchants  and  dealers  in  grain,  who  subsequently  added  a 
tavern  to  their  establishment.  They  were  in  business  as  early  as  1786, 
possibly  a  little  before  that  time.  Their  place  of  business  was  near  the 
extreme  southeastern  part  of  the  town.  Almost  two  miles  above,  on 
the  banks  of  the  Hudson  about  a  mile  above  the  Waterford  junction  of 
the  two  branches  of  the  Delaware  &  Hudson  railroad,  Anthony  Levar- 
sie,  or  Levisie,  kept  an  inn  as  early  as  1788.  The  old  ferry,  estab- 
lished more  than  a  century  earlier,  was  located  a  few  rods  above  his 


WATERFORD,  1783-1800.  77 

place,  and  its  presence  doubtless  was  a  potent  factor  in  inducing  him  to 
locate  where  he  did.  At  this  point  in  those  days  there  was  consider- 
able traffic  between  the  inhabitants  on  the  east  and  on  the  west  side  of 
the  Hudson.  The  site  was  selected,  many  years  afterward,  as  the 
place  where  the  old  Albany,  Vermont  &  Northern  Railway  should  cross 
the  river.  About  the  same  time  the  tavern  of  one  of  the  Vandenburghs 
stood  two  miles  further  up  the  river,  on  the  road  to  Stillwater.  Hez- 
ekiah  Ketchum  had  a  grain  and  produce  store  in  the  town  in  the  same 
year,  1788,  and  Jacobus  Ostrander  kept  an  inn  at  the  same  time.  Both 
may  have  been  located  there  earlier  than  1788,  but  the  records  do  not 
give  any  information  on  the  point. 

Professional  men  were  not  wanting,  either,  in  this  early  day.  In  the 
year  of  which  we  are  writing  Daniel  Van  Alstyne  practiced  law  in 
Waterford,  and  in  the  same  j'ear  served  as  pathmaster.  James  Dugan 
kept  a  school  and  at  the  same  time  served  the  town  as  constable  and 
collector. 

Richard  Davis  was  an  early  merchant.  The  date  of  his  settlement  is 
unknown.  Aurie  Banta  was  a  carpenter,  and  constructed  many  of  the 
early  residences  in  Waterford  village.  Aaron  Comstock  was  a  farmer 
two  miles  north  of  the  village  as  early  as  1787.  William  Waldron  re- 
sided on  the  river  road  north  of  the  village.  His  descendants  became 
prominent  in  the  town,  a  great-grandson  having  held  the  office  of  sur- 
rogate for  twenty  one  years.  John  Clark  came  here  before  1790. 
Isaac  Keeler  was  a  merchant  on  Second  street  about  1790.  About 
1794  John  Pettit  had  a  cabinet  shop  and  Duncan  Oliphant  a  tannery. 
Samuel  J.  Hazard  had  a  store  before  1796,  in  the  village.  During  the 
last  decade  of  the  century  John  Van  Dekar,  James  Scott  and  Benjamin 
Mix  kept  taverns  in  town.  That  of  Mr.  Mix  was  located  on  Quality 
Hill,  between  Waterford  and  Middletown. 

In  1795  the  first  bridge  across  the  Mohawk  was  erected  a  short  dis- 
tance above  Waterford.  It  was  nine  hundred  feet  long,  twenty  four 
feet  wide  and  fifteen  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  river  and  rested  on  thir- 
teen stone  piers.  Its  cost  was  about  $12,000,  and  it  was  considered  a 
great  achievement  for  that  day.  It  formed  the  connecting  link  between 
the  two  divisions  north  and  south  of  the  Mohawk  of  the  great  highway 
running  from  Albany  on  the  south  to  Ballston,  Stillwater  and  Saratoga 
on  the  north. 

We  have  no  account  of  the  eighteenth  century  schools  of  Waterford, 
though  it  is  certain  that  at  least  one  schoolmaster— James  Dugan — 


78  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

lived  there  as  early  as  and  unquestionably  prior  to  1788.  But  a  relig- 
ious society — the  old  Dutch  Reformed  church,  now  extinct — existed 
there  during  the  days  of  the  Revolution.  When  the  society  was  organ- 
ized is  not  known ;  but  before  the  close  of  the  Revolution,  probably  in 
1782  or  1783,  a  church  edifice  stood  a  mile  and  a  half  north  of  the  vil- 
lage. This  was  taken  down  and  rebuilt  in  1799  at  the  corner  of  Middle 
and  Third  streets  in  Waterf ord  village. '  Whether  the  first  edifice  re- 
ferred to  was  the  first  in  the  town  cannot  be  learned.  As  adherents  of 
the  Dutch  Reformed  faith  lived  in  this  vicinity  at  least  a  century  before 
the  Revolution,  it  is  not  improbable  that  a  church  existed  in  the  town 
many  years  before  the  erection  of  the  first  of  which  we  have  definite 
knowledge. 

There  is  in  existence  no  record  of  any  manufacturing  establishments 
in  Waterford  before  1800,  excepting  such  as  the  tannery,  the  cabinet 
shop,  etc.,  mentioned. 

BALLSTON  AND  MILTON. 

The  fame  of  the  mineral  springs  of  Ballston  Spa  having  spread 
throughout  the  land,  and  that  place  being  comparatively  easy  of  access, 
with  a  genial  climate  and  more  than  ordinary  hotel  accommodations 
for  the  time,  its  development  after  the  country  began  to  resume  its 
normal  condition  was  quite  satisfaictory.  Coincident  therewith  came 
the  population  of  the  towns  of  Ballston  and  Milton,  in  each  of  which 
a  part  of  the  village  of  Ballston  Spa  is  located.  In  another  chapter  it 
has  been  found  convenient  to  refer  somewhat  in  detail  to  the  settlement 
of  the  little  community  in  the  vicinity  of  the  public  spring — the  erec- 
tion of  inns  by  Benajah  Douglas,  in  1787,  and  Micajah  Benedict  im- 
mediately thereafter.  In  1792  Nicholas  Low  also  built  a  commodious 
public  house  adjoining  the  lot  occupied  by  Douglas  just  east  of  the 
spring.  Mr.  Low  was  born  in  New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  March  30,  1739, 
and  for  many  years  was  a  leading  merchant  of  New  York  city.  His 
wife  was  a  widow  named  Alice  Fleming,  and  she  bore  him  three  chil- 
dren, two  sons  and  a  daughter.  The  latter  married  Charles  King,  for 
m^ny  years  president  of  Columbia  College.  Mr.  Low  espoused  the 
patriot  cause  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  contributed  largely  to  its 
success  by  gifts  of  money.  He  died  in  New  York  city  December 
26,  1826. 

1  This  church  yvas  torn  down  and  the  lot  on  which  it  stood  sold  in  1876,  the  church  society- 
having  ceased  to  exist. 


BALLSTON  AND  MILTON,  1783-1800.  79 

About  1792  Salmon  Tryon  began  to  build  a  house  on  the  hill  south 
of  the  spring,  near  the  present  residence  of  Mrs.  Samuel  Smith,  on  the 
corner  of  West  High  street  and  Ballston  avenue.  Later  he  added  a 
general  store  at  the  same  location.  He  was  the  first  merchant  of  Balls- 
ton  Spa  of  whom  anything  definite  can  be  learned.  In  1795  Mr.  Low 
sold  his  house  and  farm  to  Joseph  Westcot,  who  was  its  proprietor  until 
his  death.  The  property  of  Mr.  Douglas  ultimately  came  into  the 
possession  of  Joseph  Westcot  and  Reuben  Hewitt.  It  consisted  of  one 
hundred  acres,  and  the  house  stood^onTthe  site  now  occupied  by  the 
residence  of  William  S.  Waterbury.  It  cost  the  purchasers  $8,000. 
Mr.  Westcot  was  the  grandfather  of  Joseph  E.  and  the  late  John  H. 
Westcot,  and  great-grandfather  of  Herbert  C.  Westcot  of  Ballston  Spa. 
Upon  the  death  of  the  elder  Westcot,  his  widow  married  Joshua  B. 
Aldridge,  and  the  homestead,  for  many  years  thereafter  a  boarding- 
house,  was  known  as  the  Aldridge  house.  In  the  possession  of  Herbert 
C.  Westcot  are  several  commissions  to  Reuben  Hewitt,  as  sergeant, 
sergeant-major,  second  lieutenant  and  first  lieutenant  in  the  Continental 
Army,  bearing  the  signatures  of  such  famous  men  as  John  Hancock, 
then  president  of  Congress;  Eleazer  Fitch  and  Jonathan  Trumbull, 
governors  of  Connecticut. 

Just  before  the  close  of  the  century,  probably  about  1798  or  1799,  a 
school  was  started  in  Ballston  Spa.  It  was  located  on  the  site  of  the 
east  side  of  the  present  cemetery  on  Ballston  avenue.  Who  the  early 
teachers  were  is  not  known.  But  even  before  that  time  religious  ser- 
vice had  been  held  in  the  village.  In  the  spring  of  1791  Ammi  Rogers 
of  Bradford,  Conn.,  a  lay  reader  who  conducted  services  under  the 
supervision  of  Rev.  Mr.  Ellison  of  Albany,  held  regular  services  alter- 
nately in  St.  George's  church  at  Schenectady  and  in  private  residences 
in  Ballston  Spa.  Christ  Episcopal  church  '  already  had  been  organized 
in  1787,  but  it  was  then  located  at  Ballston  Centre.     The  first  society 

>  This  is  the  oldest  Protestant  Episcopal  church  in  Saratoga  county.  Those  who  organized 
it  in  1787  were  Thomas  Smith,  Ezekiel  Horton,  James  Emott,  Edmund  Jennings,  James  Mann, 
Elisha  Miller,  Salmon  Tryon  and  forty-two  others.  Ammi  Rogers  became  its  first  pastor.  In  1792 
the  first  church  edifice  was  erected  a  short  distance  south  o£  Ballston  Centre.  The  first  -vestry 
was  composed  of  Joseph  Bettys,  Elisha  Benedict,  wardens;  Thaddeus  Betts,  John  Wright,  Joshua 
Bloore,  Jabei  Davis,  Richard  Warren  and  James  Emott,  vestrymen.  Rev.  Mr.  Rogers  was  or- 
dained deacon  by  Bishop  Provost  in  Trinity  church.  New  York,  June  4,  1792,  and  advanced  to  the 
priesthood  October  19, 1794.  He  continued  as  rector  of  Christ  church  until  1807,  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded in  turn  by  Rev.  Mr.  Van  Horn  and  Rev.  Gamaliel  Thacher,  who  died  while  rector.  By 
1810  the  growth  of  population  in  Ballston  Spa  had  been  such  that  a  parish  named  St.  Paul's  had 
been  organized  there,  with  Rev.  Joseph  Perry  as  rector.  Upon  Rev.  Mr.  Thacher's  death  Mr. 
Perry  began  to  conduct  services  in  both  churches.    In  1817  the  church  at  Ballston  Centre  was 


80  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

in  Ballston  Spa  was  not  founded  until  1810.  The  Baptist  church'  of 
this  village  was  organized  in  1791,  the  year  which  witnessed  the  hold- 
ing of  the  first  Episcopal  services  in  the  county. 

Masonry  obtained  a  firm  foothold  in  the  village  before  the  close  of 
the  century.  In  1794  a  number  of  members  of  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity who  had  settled  in  Ballston  Spa  and  vicinity  met  at  Ballston 
Centre  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  themselves  into  a  lodge.  May 
16,  1794,  the  Grand  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  the  State  of  New  York 

abandoned  and  the  two  congregations  united  for  worship  at  Ballston  Spa,  St.  Paul's  being  changed 
in  name  to  that  of  the  original  society— Christ  church.  Its  first  vestry  under  the  reorganization 
consisted  of  Joshua  B.  Aldridge  and  James  Mann,  wardens;  Epenetus  White,  jr.,  Thomas  Palmer, 
Samuel  Smith,  Thomas  Smith,  Eli  Barnum  and  Daniel  Starr,  vestrymen.  The  church  edifice  at 
the  Centre  was  taken  down  in  this  year,  removed  to  the  village  and  reconstructed  on  a  lot  ad- 
joining the  old  county  clerk's  office  on  Front  street,  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  west  of 
and  opposite  to  the  public  spring.  It  was  reopened  by  services  conducted  by  Rev.  Benjamin  T. 
Onderdonk,  subsequently  bishop  of  New  York.  Rev.  Joseph  Perry  was  succeeded  as  rector  by 
Rev.  William  A.  Clark.  In  1824  Rev.  Deodatus  Babcock  became  rector,  serving  as  such  for  twenty- 
two  years.  The  rectors  since  that  time  have  been;  George  J.  Geer,  Robert  G.  Rogers,  Charles 
Arey,  George  W.  Dean,  George  Worthington,  Joseph  Gary,  Walter  Delafield;  April  1,  1884,  to  the 
present  time,  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  Pelletreau.  With  the  exception  of  Dr.  Babcock's,  Dr.  Pelle- 
treau's  rectorship  has  been  the  longest  in  the  history  of  the  parish.  In  1860,  during  the  rector- 
ship of  Mr.  Dean,  the  cornerstone  of  the  present  handsome  edifice  was  laid,  and  the  church  was 
dedicated  in  March,  1863.  Its  cost  was  about  $11,000.  Since  that  year  thousands  of  dollars  have 
been  expended  in  repairing  and  beautifying  the  edifice,  until  to-day  it  has  one  of  the  most  attract- 
ive interiors  in  the  country.  During  the  rectorship  of  Rev.  Dr.  Pelletreau  handsome  memorial 
windows  have  been  put  in,  the  chancel  has  been  completely  refurnished,  at  considerable  expense, 
and  other  improvements  of  a  rich  and  substantial  nature  have  been  effected.  About  1875  the 
church  purchased  from  the  State  the  old  armory  building  nearly  opposite  the  church,  which  it 
remodeled  and  has  since  used  as  a  parish  house.  Extensive  alterations  were  made  in  1876  under 
the  direction  of  Dr.  Pelletreau.  The  work  was  completed  in  time  for  the  reopening  of  the  church 
on  Christmas  day  of  that  year. 

1  The  Baptist  congregation  first  met  in  a  school  house  situated  just  south  of  the  village.  Here 
services  were  held  until  1803,  when  a  church  was  built,  during  the  third  year  of  the  pastorate  of 
Rev.  Elias  Lee,  on  a  part  of  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the  eastern  part  of  the  Protestant  ceme- 
tery on  Ballston  avenue.  Mr.  Lee  was  the  first  regular  pastor  of  the  church,  assuming  charge  in 
1800.  Prior  to  that  time  services  were  conducted  by  various  ministers,  including  Rev.  Mr.  Lang- 
worthy  and  Rev.  Mr.  Mudge  of  Saratoga  Springs.  The  society  numbered  ninety-four  members 
in  1800.  Mr.  Lee's  pastorate  continued  for  a  period  of  thirty  years,  or  until  his  death.  He  was  a 
man  greatly  beloved,  not  only  by  the  members  o£  his  congregation,  but  by  the  inhabitants  of 
Ballston  Spa  and  vicinity,  regardless  of  the  religious  proclivities  or  lack  of  the  same.  In  1830, 
owing  to  the  more  general  settlement  of  that  part  of  the  village  north  of  High  street,  the  original 
edifice  was  moved  to  a  point  on  Science  street,  near  the  line  of  the  i)resent  railroad.  In  1837  the 
new  church,  which  still  stands  on  Milton  avenue  at  the  head  of  Front  street,  and  which  was 
abandoned  as  a  place  of  worship  in  1896,  was  completed  at  a  cost  of  $8,000.  It  was  constructed  of 
stone  and  was  an  imposing  edifice  for  that  day.  A  very  handsome  new  stone  edifice  was  erected 
on  Milton  avenue  in  1896,  at  a  cost  of  about  $.35,000  duringthe  pastorate  of  Rev.  Gove  Griffith  John- 
son. The  church  was  known  as  the  Second  Baptist  Church  of  Milton  until  1802,  when  it  was  in- 
corporated as  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Ballston  Spa.  Since  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Elias  Lee, 
the  following  have  served  in  that  capacity  :  William  E.  Waterbury,  S.  S.  Parr,  Charles  B.  Keyes, 
Norman  Fox,  Orrin  Dodge,  Joseph  Freeman,  L.  Y.  Hayhurst,  E.  S.  Widdemer,  William  Groom, 
William  O.  Halman,  P.  Franklin  Jones,  George  W.  Clark,  E.  H.  Johnson,  Robert  T.  Jones,  1875- 
1879 ;  William  T.  C.  Hanna,  1880-1890  ;  William  T.  Dorward,  1890-1894 ;  Gove  Griffith  Johnson, 
1894-1898. 


BALLSTON  AND  MILTON,  1783-1800.  81 

granted  a  charter  to  the  new  lodge,  which  was  named  Franklin  Lodge 
No.  37.' 

The  public  spring"  was  by  no  means  the  only  magnet  which  attracted 
visitors  to  this  famous  resort  in  the  early  days.  At  least  three  other 
springs  whose  waters  possessed  a  distinct  medicinal  value  were  in  ex- 
istence. One  was  on  the  west  side  of  Bath  street,  at  the  foot  of  the 
hill.  One,  called  the  Jack  spring,  was  located  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  street,  and  flows  to  waste  to  this  day.  Another  was  located  in 
what  is  now. the  rear  yard  of  the  Hotel  Medbery.  These  three  had  a 
somewhat  similar  taste,  and  all  differed  greatly  from  the  public  spring. 
Travel  to  them  increased  year  by  year,  additional  boarding  houses  and 
hotels  were  erected  for  the  accommodation  of  visitors,  stores  were 
established  and  permanent  residences  built,  so  that  at  the  opening  of 
the  present  century  the  village  was  a  hustling  little  community,  with 
evidences  of  thrift  and  enterprise  on  all  sides,  bidding  fair  to  become 
one  of  the  most  popular  and  celebrated  summer  resorts  on  the  Ameri- 
can continent. 

The  village  of  Ballston  Spa,  having  been  located  partly  in  Ballston 
and  partly  in  Milton,  those  two  towns  naturally  shared  in  the  pros- 
perity attending  the  early  days  of  this  once  famous  resort.  The  agri- 
cultural community  was  greatly  benefited  by  the  near-by  market,  now 
increasing  in  importance  so  rapidly,  and  its  fame  spreading,  settlers 
continued  to  flock  to  the  adjoining  country,  improve  the  land  and  take 
their  products  to  the  markets  at  the  now  thriving  village. 

Among  those  who  located  in  the  town  of  Ballston  while  the  war  was 
in  progress  was  Samuel  Wood,  who  came  about  1780  and  built  a  home 
on  the  east  side  of  Ballston  lake.  Thomas  Weed  was  also  an  early  set- 
tler, Peter  Williams  built  a  small  tannery  at  the  close  of  the  war,  and 
in  connection  therewith  operated  a  shoe  shop  on  the  banks  of  the 
Mourning  Kill  near-by.  John,  Azor,  Samuel  and  Eliakim  Nash  and 
David  Clark  were  also  here  about  the  same  time,  but  little  is  known  of 
them.  Miles  Beach  came  from  Connecticut  in  1786  in  company  with 
his  father,  Zerah  Beach.  The  former  was  married  in  1807  to  Cynthia 
Warren.  William  A.  Beach,  the  famous  lawyer,  was  their  second  son. 
Asa  Waterman,  and  his  son,  Asa  Waterman,  jr.,  came  to  Ballston 

1  This  lodge  met  for  several  years  at  Ballston  Centre.  In  1834  the  warrant  was  forfeited  and 
declared  to  be  not  legally  capable  of  being  revived. 

"  This  spring,  called  the  "  iron  spring,"  is  located  at  the  west  end  of  Front  street,  on  the  north 
side  of  the  street,  and  its  waters  are  free  to  all. 
U 


82  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

about  1790  and  lived  at  Ballston  Centre,  opposite  the  Presbyterian 
church.  Later  they  removed  to  the  old  Larkin  farm.  The  father 
fought  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  was  present  at  Burgoyne's  sur- 
render. In  1786,  while  residing  in  Montgomery  county,  Governor 
Clinton  commissioned  him  a  lieutenant  colonel  in  the  -State  militia. 
Seth  C.  Baldwin  located  on  the  well-known  Colonel  Young  farm  before 
1793,  for  in  that  year  he  had  become  well  enough  known  to  be  chosen 
supervisor  of  his  town.  In  1797  he  was  elected  to  the  Assembly;  in 
1800  and  1801  he  was  again  elected  supervisor,  and  in  the.  latter  year 
was  appointed  sheriff  of  the  county.  After  serving  in  that  capacity 
three  years  he  was  elected  county  clerk,  his  oflfice,  in  the  absence  of  a 
county  office,  being  located  in  his  residence.  Edward  A.  Watrous  was 
another  prominent  man  of  this  period,  he  having  served  as  supervisor 
duHng  the  years  1794,  1795  and  1796.  Jabez  Davis  was  supervisor  in 
1797  and  Henry  Walton  in  1798.  Among  others  who  were  prominent 
during  the  latter  days  of  the  century  were  Caleb  Benedict,  Lloyd 
Wakeman,  Robert  Leonard,  Gideon  Luther,  Thaddeus  Patchen,  Amos 
Larkin  and  Bushnell  Benedict. 

Until  1796  the  county  had  no  fixed  place  for  the  transaction  of  its 
official  business.  In  that  year  the  first  court  house  was  erected  on  the 
site  on  the  Middle  Line  road  which  even  to  this  day  is  known  as  Court 
House  Hill.  This  continued  to  be  the  counfy  seat  until  March,  1816, 
when  both  the  court  house  and  the  jail  adjoining  were  burned. 

One  of  the  first  to  come  to  Milton  after  the  close  of  the  Revolution 
was  Sanborn  Ford,  who  formerly  resided  in  Sand  Lake,  Rensselaer 
county.  He  had  served  throughout  the  war,  first  as  musician,  then  in 
the  infantry  and  finally  in  the  cavalry.  He  was  at  Bunker  Hill  and 
also  at  the  surrender  of  Lord  Cornwallis,  having  witnessed  the  begin- 
ning and  ending  of  the  great  conflict.  For  many  years  after  coming 
to  Milton  he  kept  a  public  house.  He  had  a  family  of  four  sons  and 
four  daughters.  His  homestead  was  located  at  what  was  known  for 
many  years  as  Spear's  Corners,  and  in  earlier  days  as  Whalen's  Cor- 
ners. The  latter  name  was  given  to  the  community  in  honor  of  Abel 
Whalen,  a  former  resident  of  Sand  Lake,  who  located  there  about  the 
same  time  as  Ford.  He  had  two  sons,  Abel  and  Ezekiel.  John  Lee, 
from  Connecticut,  migrated  to  Milton  in  1793  and  settled  a  short  dis- 
tance west  of  Rock  City  Falls.  His  children  were  Joel,  Elias,  Noah, 
Ruth  and  Abigail.  Joel  Lee  removed  to  Ballston  Spa,  and  served  as 
postmaster  there  for  half  a  century.     He  was  appointed  to  the  office  by 


BALLSTON  AND   MILTON,  1783-1800.  83 

Gideon  Granger,  postmaster-general.  His  son,  Ellas  W.  Lee,  was  for 
many  years  a  merchant  in  that  village,  and  another  son,  John  J.  Lee, 
was  an  officer  of  the  Ballston  Spa  bank  for  nearly  forty  years.  Joseph 
Shearer  located  near  West  Milton,  perhaps  before  the  Revolution. 
That  he  was  here  during  the  early  days  of  the  war  is  certain,  as  a  stone 
in  the  old  family  burial  ground  states  that  three  of  his  sons  died  re- 
spectively in  1777,  1787  and  1796.  Joel  Mann  came  from  Hebron, 
Conn.,  in  1793  or  1794  and  settled  on  the  Nathaniel  Mann  farm.  Of 
four  sons,  Rodolphus  settled  in  Ballston;  Jeremiah  on  the  old  home- 
stead, which  subsequently  was  occupied  by  his  son  Nathaniel ;  Joel  in 
Galway,  and  Hiram  in  Wayne  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  subsequently 
became  sheriff.  A  daughter,  Mrs.  Hanchett,  removed  to  Troy.  James 
Mann,  his  brother,  had  preceded  him  three  or  four  years,  having  set- 
tled in  1790  on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  about  a  mile  west  of  Balls- 
ton  Spa.  He,  too,  came  from  Hebron,  Conn.,  whence  he  returned 
shortly  after  his  settlement  here  and  married  Tryphena  Tarbox.  His 
children  were  Electa,  James  and  Joseph.  James  settled  on  the  home- 
stead. John  Bentley  located  in  the  town  about  1778  and  leased  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land.  John  Cole  and  Henry  Cole  were  liv- 
ing near  him  at  that  time.  Mr.  Bentley  was  twice  married.  His  chil- 
dren by  his  first  wife  were  Sarah,  Mrs.  Snyder,  of  Milton;  Catharine, 
Mrs.  Green,  of  Clifton  Park;  Elizabeth,  Mrs.  Tillinghast  Bentley,  of 
Milton;  Charity,  Mrs.  Southwick,  of  Greenfield;  and  Patience,  Mrs. 
John  P.  Bentley,  of  Troy.  By  his  second  wife  he  had  eight  sons:  Otis, 
David,  Pardon,  Stephen,  Adams,  Elias,  Gregory  and  Reuben.  Otis 
settled  in  Milton ;  the  remainder  removed  to  Oswego  county.  Reuben 
Weed,  Jonathan  Morey,  Benjamin  Peck,  Samuel   Reed,  Silas  Adams, 

Jacob  Ambler,  Isaac  Webb, Howard,  John  Ball,  Elisha  Powell, 

Henry  Frink,  Benjamin  Gregory,  Joshua  Jones,  Joel  Keeler  and  Ben- 
jamin Crenelle  were  all  here  before  1800.  Mr.  Keeler  was  the  first 
postmaster  at  West  Milton. 

Before  the  year  1800  several  saw  mills  and  grist  mills  had  been  con- 
structed along  the  banks  of  the  Kayaderosseras  at  or  in  the  vicinity  of 
what  is  now  Rock  City  Falls.  The  place  was  then  known  as  Hatch 
Mills,  and  the  mills  were  owned  principally  by  a  nian  named  Swan. 
Mr.  Rathbone,  the  first  permanent  settler  at  Rock  City  Falls,  had  mills 
there  about  1800.  His  brother  located  there  about  the  same  time  and 
started  a  store.  Before  that  year  John  Whitehead  had  a  saw  mill  at 
Craneville,  at  the  upper  end  of  the  pond.     At  Factory  Village  an  iron 


84  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

forge  and  a  saw  mill  were  in  operation  about  the  same  time.  At  Mil- 
ton Centre  General  James  Gordon  established  a  grist  mill  just  after 
the  war."  Some  time  before  1800  Daniel  Campbell  of  Schenectady 
erected  a  grist  mill  at  West  Milton,  and  left  it  in  charge  of  Simon  P. 
Vedder.  Ezekiel  Whalen  had  a  mill  near  that  of  Campbell,  but  when 
it  was  built  is  not  known.  He  also  had  the  first  store  at  what  was  then 
known  as  Clute's  Corners. 

Rev.  Ammi  Rogers,  who  conducted  the  first  Episcopal  services  in 
Ballston  Spa,  organized  St.  James'  church "  at  Milton  Hill  in  1796. 
Five  years  earlier,  June  3,  1791,  the  Presbyterian  church"  at  Milton 
was  incorporated,  and  its  organization  may  have  taken  place  at  an 
earlier  date.  The  Baptist  society  long  known  as  "the  stone  church," ' 
located  east  of  Rock  City  Falls,  was  organized  some  time  before  1800. 
The  Presbyterian  church  of  West  Milton  was  organized  soon  after  the 
Revolution  by  Scotch  immigrants,  as  the  Covenanters,  or  Reformed  Pres- 
byterian. The  first  house  of  worship  was  located  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  west  of  Spear's  Corners.  ° 

STILLWATER. 
The  settlement  of  Stillwater  and  the  development  of  its  resources 

>  It  is  said  that  his  materials  for  building  were  gathered  before  the  war  broke  out,  that  the 
millstones  were  left  leaning  against  trees  during  the  troublous  period,  and  that  they  had  sunk 
by  their  weight  half  way  into  the  ground  before  peace  enabled  the  general  to  complete  his  plans. 
— Sylvester's  History  of  Saratoga  County. 

^  The  first  vestry  of  the  parish  consisted  of  the  following :  Wardens,  James  Henderson,  David 
Roberts;  vestryman,  Abel  Whalen,  William  Bolt,  Joel  Mann,  Hugh  McGinness,  William  Johnson, 
Henry  Whitlock,  John  Ashton,  Thomas  Shepherd.  Rev.  Charles  McCabe,  pastor  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  in  Milton,  entered  the  Episcopal  ministry  and  for  a  while  was  rector  of  St,  James'. 
Among  the  other  pastors  were  Rev.  Mr.  Adams  and  Rev.  Joseph  Perry.  About  1845  separate 
services  there  were  discontinued  and  the  members  united  with  Christ  church  of  Ballston  Spa, 
the  property  being  sold  in  1849  to  Nathaniel  Mann.  Services  have  been  held  afternoons  for  sev- 
eral years  by  the  rector  of  Christ  church. 

»  The  first  trustees  were  William  Williamson,  Kbenezer  Couch,  Benajah  Smith,  Silas  Adams, 
Stephen  Wood  and  Esquire  Patchin.  The  meeting-house  was  at  Milton  Hill.  Among  the  early 
pastors  were  Rev.  Messrs.  Hovey,  Wright  and  Hermance.    The  society  dissolved  about  1841. 

*  The  first  house  of  worship  was  built  in  1801  by  Elder  Lewis.    In  1886  a  stone  edifice  was 

erected.    Among  the  early  pastors  were  Jonathan  Nicols,  Samuel  Plum, Clay,  E.  Tucker, 

P.  Powell,  A.  Seamans,  J.  B.  Wilkins,  J.  Goadby,  W.  B.  Curtis,  Caleb  Gurr.  The  Milton 
branch  of  the  Stillwater  Baptist  church,  organized  about  1785  by  members  of  the  churches  at 
Stillwater,  Stephentown  and  White  Creek,  was  constituted  as  an  independent  church  June 
23, 1793. 

» This  church  was  abandoned  in  1840  and  a  new  one  erected  immediately  thereafter.  The 
first  pastor  was  James  McKinney,  who  came  from  Ireland  in  1798.  The  celebrated  Gilbert  Mc- 
Master  succeeded  him.  Other  early  pastors  were  Samuel  Wilson,  John  N.  McLeod,  A.  S.  McMas- 
ter  (son  of  Gilbert  McMaster),  Samuel  Stephenson,  R.  H.  Beattie,  David  G.  Bullions  and  others. 
The  first  elders  were  John  Willson,  Alexander  Glen,  John  Burns,  Joseph  Shearer  and  Alexander 
Donnon. 


STILLWATER.  1783-1800.  85 

was  very  rapid  after  the  close  of  the  Revolution.  Even  during  that 
conflict  a  number  of  persons  were  attracted  to  that  town  by  the  favora- 
ble reports  regarding  the  advantages  it  offered  to  new  settlers.  John 
Taylor,  who  resided  in  Albany,  owned  a  place  there  during  the  Bur- 
goyne  campaign,  but  did  not  make  it  a  permanent  place  of  residence. 
Asa  Chatfield  was  there  at  the  same  time,  but  little  is  known  of  him. 
Philip  Hunger,  Joseph  Hunger  and  Benjamin  Hunger  were  also  there, 
but  the  time  of  their  coming  is  uncertain.  Thomas  Hunt  resided  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  town.  Captain  Ephraim  Woodworth's  house 
was  located  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  south  of  the  Neilson  barn  which 
was  converted  into  a  fort  just  before  the  arrival  of  Burgoyne's  forces, 
and  his  residence  was  used  by  General  Gates  as  his  headquarters  during 
the  battle  of  October  7,  1777.  Woodworth  came  from  New  England 
and  did  business  as  a  weaver.  John  Hunter,  who  came  to  the  county 
with  the  church  colony  from  Connecticut,  first  located  in  Malta,  but 
removed  to  Stillwater  about  the  close  of  the  war.  He  ran  a  blacksmith 
shop,  and  also  was  a  practical  surveyor.  Many  maps  made  by  him  are 
still  in  existence.  He  became  a  large  land  owner,  purchasing  exten- 
sively of  Jonathan  Frisbie,  Eben  Patrick  and  others.  Joel  Ketchum 
located  in  town  about  the  close  of  the  war.  One  son,  Nathaniel,  was 
elected  sheriff  of  the  county  in  1811.  The  other  son,  Richard,  was  a 
merchant  many  years  at  Ketchum's  Corners,  which  was  named  in  his 
honor.  Amos  Hodgman  came  from  Weston,  Mass.,  about  1788.  John 
Fellows  came  with  the  Connecticut  church  colony  in  1762  to  1764,  and 
built  a  house  about  a  mile  west  of  the  "yellow  meeting-house."  But 
he  returned  to  Connecticut,  like  many  other  members  of  that  colony, 
during  the  period  of  the  Revolution,  and  did  not  permanently  settle  in 
Stillwater  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  active  in  religious  work 
and  a  man  of  great  usefulness  in  the  community.  He  left  three  sons — 
William,  Ezra  and  Thomas.  William  settled  in  Stillwater  and  became 
the  father  of  Abiram  Fellows  of  Mechanicville.  Ezra  also  settled  in 
town.  Thomas  married  a  daughter  of  William  Seymour  and  emigrated 
west  with  the  Seymour  family.  The  senior  Fellows's  daughter  Eldula 
married  Joel  Seymour.  Another  daughter  became  Mrs.  Depew  and 
and  another  married  a  Dr.  Day.  William  Seymour,  Jonathan  Morey 
and  Cyprian  Watson  also  were  members  of  the  Connecticut  colony.  All 
were  God-fearing  men  and  all  became  prominently  identified  with  the 
welfare  of  the  town  of  their  adoption.  Mr.  Horey  married  a  daughter 
of  Rev.  Robert  Campbell,  sr.,  the  pastor  of  the  Connecticut  congrega- 


86  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

tion  who  removed  to  Stillwater.  Thomas  Morey,  his  son, was  a  prom- 
inent town  officer  and  for  many  years  a  deacon  of  the  church.  Mr. 
Campbell  spent  his  life  in  preaching  to  his  flock,  and  his  son,  Robert 
Campbell,  jr.,  took  up  his  father's  work  and  preached  in  Stillwater 
eight  years.  Mr.  Watson  and  Mr.  Seymour  were  also  deacons  in  this 
Congregational  church.  The  latter  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  but  a 
man  of  great  influence  in  the  community.  The  Patrick  family  were 
also  prominent  for  many  years.  Anthony  Collamer,  from  Boston,  set- 
tled south  of  Snake  Hill  on  Saratoga  lake  just  after  the  war,  but  finally 
removed  to  Malta,  where  several  of  his  descendants  still  reside.  He 
and  two  of  his  brothers  fought  at  the  battle  of  Bemus  Heights.  Thomas 
Collamer  was  his  son,  and  Collins  Collamer,  his  grandson.  Isaac  and 
Gabriel  Leggett,  brothers,  were  here  during  and  probably  before  the 
war.  They  resided  near  each  other,  north  of  Wilbur's  ravine.  Near 
Wilbur's  basin  lived  Reuben  Wright.  For  many  years  he  and  his  suc- 
cessors maintained  a  ferry  known  as  Wright's  ferry.  The  homestead 
of  Simeon  Barber  was  located  on  the  famous  battle  ground.  He  may 
have  been  a  resident  before  the  opening  of  the  war.  Amariah  Plumb 
and  John  Thompson  also  located  in  town.  The  latter  was  a  man  of 
great  prominence  and  public  spirit,  and  was  elected  a  representative  in 

Congress.     Jeremiah  Taylor,   Elisha  Andrews  and Gleason  lived 

in  town  during  the  Revolution. 

Cornelius  Vandenburgh,  Christian  Sackrider  and  Henry  Metcalf 
were  prominent  in  the  legal  profession  several  years  before  the  close  of 
the  century.  James  Baker  settled  north  of  Mechanicville  about  1800. 
His  descendants  are  very  numerous,  many  of  them  still  residing  in  the 
county.  Elias  Palmer  served  in  the  patriot  army  and  owned  property 
during  the  Revolution.  William  Mead  had  a  tavern  at  Stillwater  vil- 
lage during  the  war,  and  soon  after  its  close  another  was  kept  by 
Ezekiel  Ensign  on  the  river  road.  William  Patrick  had  another  in 
Stillwater  village  as  early  as  1800.  Others  were  kept  about  the  same 
time  by  Eli  Stone,  William  Gleason  and  William  Strong.  The  latter 
was  located  at  what  was  known  as  Stillwater  Centre.  Hezekiah  Rey- 
nolds also  had  an  early  tavern  at  the  "yellow  meeting-house  corners." 
The  first  at  Ketchum's  Corners  was  kept  by  Noah  Chapman. 

Among  the  merchants  who  did  business  in  town  during  this  period 
were  Palmer  &  Levins,  who  were  succeeded  by  Reuben  and  Warren 
Smith.  The  stores  of  Ford  &  Hale,  in  1790,  and  Terence  O'Donnell 
are  mentioned  as  existing  in   the   north   part  of  Stillwater  village. 


STILLWATER,  1783-1800.  87 

Abram  Q.  Wright  had  the  first  store  at  Ketchutn's  Corners.  Jesse 
Patrick  was  another  early  merchant  at  Stillwater  village. 

Among  the  early  physicians  were  Dr.  Elias  Willard,  Dr.  Robert 
Patrick,  Dr.  William  Patrick  and  Dr.  Ephraim  Otis.  The  latter  lived 
at  Quaker  Springs  in  Saratoga,  but  practiced  extensively  throughout 
Stillwater.  Daniel  Hall,  Increase  Child  and  John  Hunter  are  men- 
tioned as  early  surveyors. 

Mills  were  built  in  Stillwater  at  a  very  early  day.  That  of  Isaac 
Mann  has  been  referred  to  in  a  previous  chapter.  There  were  several 
others  in  town  before  the  close  of  the  century,  but  the  ownership  of 
most  of  them  is  a  matter  of  doubt.  Saw  mills  and  grist  mills  were  in 
operation  during  the  same  period  at  Gleason  Hollow  and  on  Mill  Creek. 
On  Wilbur  Basin  creek  Ezekiel  Ensign,  who  had  one  of  the  earliest 
taverns,  had  two  or  more  mills. 

The  following  also  resided  in  Stillwater  prior  to  1800:  Dirck  Swart, 
who  served  as  county  clerk;  Colonel  Daniel  Dickinson,  farmer  and 
tanner;  Joseph  Leavans  (or  Levins),  blacksmith;  William  Gill,  Jesse 
Gage,  Amos  Milliken,  Thomas  Peterson,  Ashbel  Palmer,  Amos  Hodg- 
man,  Joseph  Rowe,  Ashbel  Meacham,  Seth  Turpin,  shoemaker;  Mar- 
tin Carrington,  harness-maker;  Gilbert  Hooker,  Reuben  Smith,  Warren 
Smith,  Alpheus  Eaton,  Frederick  Stewart,  merchants  or  druggists; 
William  Parsons,  Abin  Parsons,  Heman  Whitney,  carpenters;  James 
Hillson,  shoemaker;  Hezekiah  Lord,  Jonathan  Reed,  Hugh  Harsha, 
James  Biggies,  farmers;  Peter  Olds,  Isaac  Dickinson,  Henry  Davis, 
Timothy  Shipman,  Abraham  Valentine,  Joseph  Stephens,  William 
Cooper,  Benjamin  Cole,  John  Wiggins,  Joseph  Rockwell,  William 
Dunning,  Foster  Whitford,  Isaac  Fonda,  James  Verner,  John  Bleecker, 
Jehoida  Millard,  jr.,  Josiah  Millard,  Isaac  Myers,  George  Taylor, 
Daniel  Ashley,  John  Tuttle,  John  Reubottom,  Ephraim  Woodworth, 
Samuel  Rogers,  Reuben  Moore,  Zebulon  Mott,  Peter  Clemens,  Andrew 
Sprague,  James  Dickinson,  Lewis  Williams,  Samuel  Bacon,  Ezra 
Buell,  Thomas  Hunt,  James  Green,  Daniel  Brooks,  Cornelius  Van 
Tassel,  John  McBride,  John  Carpenter,  Stephen  Sayles,  Sylvanus 
Sayles,  William  Anderson,  Joel  Ketchum,  Solomon  Scidmore,  Samuel 
Cooper,  John  Scidmore,  Thomas,  William  and  Frances  West,  William 
Bell,  William  Morris,  Philip  Rogers,  Jacob  Rogers,  Robert  ElHs, 
Mordecai  Sayles,  Kendrick  Brewer,  Seth  Burgess,  Jonathan  Bassett, 
Nathaniel  Cooper,  Simeon  Marshall,  Thomas  Higgins,  Enoch  Higgins, 
Ahab  Sayles,  Reuben  Woodworth,  Lemuel  Powers,  Abraham  Webster, 


88  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Royal  Newland,  Benjamin  Rogers,  Jacobus  Swartout,  Daniel  Thomp- 
son, Killiaen  Vandenburgh,  Killiaen  De  Ridder,  Hubbard  Pemberton, 
Ebenezer  Bacon,  Ephraim  Cook,  Jethro  Bennett,  Arthur  Caldwell, 
Richard  Davis,  Israel  Newland,  Thomas  Black,  William  Black,  John 
Rowley,  Joseph  Newland,  Joshua  Barber,  Nathaniel  Clapp,  Nicholas 
Gordinier,  Daniel,  John  and  James  McBride,  Rowland  Emery,  Archi- 
bald Walker,  Abraham,  John  and  Francis  Wilcox,  Philip  Hunger, 
Jehial  Parker,  John  Neilson,  Holton  Dunham,  John  and  James  Verner, 
Adam  Comstock,  Daniel  Bull,  James  Warren,  Edward  A.  Watrous, 
Hugh  Robles,  John  Taylor,  Sidney  Berry,  Epenetus  Warren,  Ebenezer 
Russell,  Robert  Campbell,  John  Bull,  Zina  Hitchcock,  Moses  Vail, 
Robert  Yates,  John  Williams,  David  Thomas,  Stephen  Lusk  and  James 
Gordon.  All  these  men  were  property  owners  in  Stillwater  before  the 
end  of  the  eighteenth  century. 

Before  1800  the  town  of  Stillwater  had  flourishing  church  societies, 
good  schools  and  a  Masonic  lodge.  The  first  schools  were  supported 
by  subscription,  and  though  private,  were  in  reality  semi-public,  as  all 
children  were  given  tuition,  whether  their  parents  contributed  more  or 
less  to  the  maintenance  of  the  school.  On  the  hill  in  Stillwater  village 
stood  a  school  as  early  as  1795  or  1796.  Amon^the  early  teachers  was 
Walter  Broughton,  who  combined  with  his  profession  that  of  singing 
master.  He  also  worked  as  a  stone-cutter,  and  after  teaching  awhile 
became  proprietor  of  the  old  Patrick  tavern.  Leonard  Hodgman,  who 
was  born  in  Stillwater  in  1793,  remembered  a  school  house  near  his 
home  when  he  was  a  boy,  which  may  have  stood  there  prior  to  1800. 
Other  school  houses  of  that  period  were  located  on  the  bank  of  Wilbur's 
Basin  creek  and  in  the  Thompson  neighborhood.  The  latter  was  pat- 
ronized by  the  families  of  the  Connecticut  cSolony. 

This  church  from  Connecticut,  the  members  of  which  doubtless  came 
in  a  body  from  Canaan,  Litchfield  county,  was  the  pioneer  church,  not 
only  in  Saratoga  county,  but  in  all  probability,  in  all  the  country  north 
of  Albany.  It  was  a  Congregational  church,  and  was  founded  in 
Canaan  June  26,  1752.  Rev.  John  Palmer  preached  the  first  sermon 
June  28,  1752,  and  the  following  day  a  number  of  persons'  subscribed 
to  the  covenant  and  elected  a  clerk.  In  April,  1762,  the  members  of 
the  society  resolved  unanimously  to  move  to  Stillwater,  whither  many 
of  them  had  already  gone." 

'  See  Chapter  IV  for  a  list  of  these  members. 
'  Undoubtedly  the  church,  or  at  least  a  section  thereof,  with  a  regular  organization,  had  set- 
tled in  Stillwater  by  1763,  for  a  paragraph  in  its  records  reads  as  follows:  "  Sept.  5,  1762,  Then 


HALPMOON,  1783-1800.  89 

The  Masonic  lodge  at  Stillwater,  chartered  October  27,  1791,  was  for 
many  years  one  of  the  most  prosperous  lodges  in  the  State.  It  was 
known  as  Montgomery  lodge.  Montgomery  Chapter  existed  before 
1798,  for  March  14  of  that  year  it  was  one  of  the  five  chapters  which 
organized  the  Grand  Chapter  of  the  State  of  Ne^y  York,  at  Albany. 
The  representatives  of  the  Stillwater  chapter  at  this  organization  were 
Daniel  Hale,  jr.,  high  priest,  and  Ashbel  Meacham,  king.  It  was  at 
this  meeting  that  De  Witt  Clinton  was  chosen  as  the  first  presiding 
officer  of  the  State  body.  The  Mark  Master  Mason's  lodge  at  Still- 
water was  held  under  warrant  granted  January  30,  1799.  These  Ma- 
sonic bodies  ceased  to  exist  when  the  anti- Masonic  agitation  of  1827 
began. 

HALFMOON. 

Halfmoon  was  another  town  in  which  the  development  was  very  rapid 
and  satisfactory  as  soon  as  the  Revolution  ended.  Even  during  that 
conflict  many  families  removed  to  the  town,  believing  that  their  safety 
lay  in  their  nearness  to  the  city  of  Albany.     Among  those  who  came 

Brother  Lemuel  Taylor,  and  Barshaba,  his  wife,  had  their  son  Lemuel  baptized  by  Brother  Camp-  • 
bell,  pastor  of  Christ  church  in  Canaan,  but  it  was  done  in  Stillwater."  This  church  has  never 
disbanded  nor  changed  its  doctrines  nor  form  of  church  government.  Some  time  before  the 
Revolution  the  members  built  a  house  of  worship  near  the  bank  of  the  Hudson,  opposite  the 
mouth  of  the  Hoosick;  but  this  was  subsequently  removed  to  a  site  about  two  miles  west  of  the 
river,  where  a  cemetery  was  established.  In  this  burial-ground  Rev.  Robert  Campbell,  the  first 
pastor,  and  many  of  the  early  members  of.the  congregation,  was  interred.  The  church  was  early 
known  as  "  the  yellow  meeting-house  "  "  In  1818  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Stillwater  was  organ- 
ized, and  many  of  the  members  joined  the  new  society,  its  house  of  worship  being  located  at  a 
point  more  convenient  for  them.  In  1850  the  old  church  was  repaired  and  rededicated,  the  sermon 
being  preached  by  Rev.  Mark  Tucker  of  Wethersfield,  Conn.,  who  had  been  a  pastor  of  the  Still- 
water church.  In  1852  the  church  changed  its  form  of  government  to  Presbyterian  and  thus 
effected  a  union  with  the  Presbyterian  families  residing  at  Mechanicville,  the  name  of  the  organi- 
zation being  changed  to  "Presbyterian  church  of  Stillwater  and  Mechanicville."  In  1871  the 
Mechanicville  church  became  a  separate  body  and  the  original  church  again  became  a  distinct 
society,  as  which  it  has  sincp  existed. 

From  the  old  records  it  appears  that  the  First  Baptist  church  of  Stillwater  is  less  than  a  year 
younger  than  the  old  Congregational  church.  Benedict's  "History  of  the  Baptists"  contains 
this  paragraph:  *'At  Stillwater,  near  the  place  where  Burgoyne  was  taken  in  the  American  war, 
a  church  arose  in  1762,  which  became  unusually  large  and  prosperous  and  branched  out  in  many 
directions,  but,  on  account  of  certain  difficulties,  it  suffered  a  great  calamity  dnd  became  nearly 
extinct."  The  early  organization  of  the  church  is  proven  by  the  fact  that  in  1779  it  had  eighty-six 
members.  Rev.  Beriah  Kelly  began  preaching  in  1781.  During  the  fourth  year  of  his  pastorate 
dissension  arose  in  the  society,  which  divided,  one  faction  worshiping  in  the  Baptist  meeting- 
house and  the  other  under  the  guidance  of  Rev.  Lemuel  Powers.  The  two  parties  were  reunited 
in  1790  under  the. united  pastorate  of  Mr.  Powers  and  Rev.  David  Irish.  In  1793  the  latter  retired 
and  left  Mr.  Powers  as  sole  pastor.  In  1791  thirty-eight  members  were  dismissed  to  form  the 
church  at  Schuylerville,  and  others  were  dismissed  to  organize  the  church  at  Ballston.  Two 
years  later  forty-eight  members  left  the  parent  church  to  organize  the  society  at  Milton,  and 
nineteen"  members  to  organize  the  First  Baptist  church  of  Saratoga  Springs.  Other  churches 
undoubtedly  sprang  from  the  Stillwater  society,  which  may  appropriately  be  called  the  "  mother 


90  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

to  Halfmoon  during  the  period  of  the  war  the  following  were  men  of 
more  or  less  prominence: 

Benjamin  Rosekrans  was  an  inhabitant  of  Halfmoon  during  the  Revo- 
lutionarj'^  period.  His  family  was  once  compelled  to  flee  from  home  by 
reason  of  an  attack  made  by  a  band  of  Canadian  Indians.  The  Rose- 
krans homestead  stood  near  Crescent.  On  the  river  road  the  Ten 
Broecks  resided  during  the  war.  William  Clark  was  the  first  to  build 
at  Middletown,  or  Halfmoon  village.  Dr.  German  also  resided  there  as 
early  as  the  war.  Dr.  Sabin  and  Dr.  Shaw  lived  near  by  in  later  years. 
Peter  Davis  owned  a  large  farm  in  town,  and  purchased  land  at  differ- 
ent times  in  1800  of  Jacob  Teachout,  Cornelius  Teachout,  Law- 
rence and •  Connery.     Richard  Davis,  Peter  Davis's  nephew,  was 

also  an  early  inhabitant.  Peter  Ferguson  and  Jacob  Miller  came  about 
1780.  Among  their  neighbors  were  John  and  Jeremiah  Vincent  and 
Dr.  Carey.  Abraham  Traverse  located  here  about  1785  or  1790. 
Andrew  Evans,  the  families  of  Snedeker,  Weaver  and  Zebulon  Mott 
lived  southerly  from  Mechanicville.  Abraham  Deuel  resided  west  of 
Mechanicville.     Jonathan  Lossing  lived  at  Usher's  Mills  as  early  as 

of  Baptist  churches,"  not  only  in  Saratoga  county,  but  in  Washington  county  as  well,  the  West 
Hoosick  church  springing  from  the  Stillwater  society.  In  1839  a  large  number  of  members  organ- 
ized the  Second  Baptist  church  in  Stillwater  village.  The  meeting-house  of  the  parent  church 
was  rebuilt  in  1850,  and  the  first  successful  Sunday  school  was  organized  in  1859. 

The  Presbyterian  church  of  Stillwater  was  also  organized  during  the  eighteenth  century. 
The  old  book  of  records  begins  with  this  paragraph:  "  The  Presbyterian  inhabitants  of  Stillwater 
incorporated  themselves  into  a  religious  society,  in  the  name  and  style  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
congregation  of  Stillwater,  on  the  18th  day  of  September,  1791.  In  this  capacity  they  put  them- 
selves under  the  care  of  the  Albany  presbytery,  and  presented  a  call  to  Mr.  Aaron  Condit,  a  can- 
didate under  the  care  of  that  presbytery,  to  settle  among  them  in  the  gospel  ministry.  This  call 
was  accepted,  and  Mr.  Condit  installed  January  15, 1793.  Mr.  Condit  labored  only  two  years  after 
his  installation,  his  services  closing  in  1795."  There  is  no  evidence  that  the  church  existed  after 
1795. 

St.  John's  Church  was  incorporated  October  27, 1795 ,  but  a  church  organization  had  existed, 
with  occasional  services,  several  years  prior  to  that  year.  These  officers  were  elected  October", 
1795  :  Wardens,  Ezekiel  Ensign,  Ezra  St.  John  ;  vestrymen,  Thomas  W.  Ford,  Henry  Brewster, 
Warren  Smith  and  Cornelius  Vandenburgh.  The  first  rector  of  the  parish  was  Rev.  Ammi 
Rogers-  The  first  church  was  erected  in  1798,  but  was  subsequently  sold  to  the  Catholic  con- 
gregation there,  an  attractive  chapel  being  built  with  the  proceeds  of  the  sale.  The  rectors  suc- 
ceeding Mr.  Rogers  have  been:  Rev.  Mr.  Thacher,  1805-1808;  Rev.  Mr.  Van  Dorn,  1806-1810; 
from  1810  to  1820  there  was  no  regular  rector  ;  Rev.  James  W.  Tappan,  1832-1837 ;  Rev.  Mr.  Allison, 
1837 ;  Rev.  Reuben  Hubbard,  1837-1843 ;  Rev.  William  A.  Curtis,  1844-1845 ;  Rev.  M.  A.  Nickerson, 
1845-1849  ;  Rev.  R.  B.  Fairbairn,  1849-1852 ;  Rev.  John  D.  Downing,  1852-1858 ;  Rev.  Robert  C.  Rog- 
ers, 1858-1859  ;  Rev.  E.  S.  Widdemer,  1839-18il6 ;  Rev.  Albert  Denker,  1866-1869 ;  Rev.  Wm.  Bogart 
Walker,  1869-1871 ;  Rev.  Alfred  H.  Stubbs,  1871-1880;  Rev.  M.  A.  Dean,  1880-1881  ;  Rev.  P.  C.  Cre- 
veton,  1881-1884  ;  Rev.  Richmond  Shreve  ;  Rev.  W.  G.  Lewis,  1889-1890 ;  Rev.  Mr.  Haskins,  1890- 
1891 ;  Rev.  Marvin  H.  Dana,  1891-1892;  Rev.  Joseph  Jowett,  1894  to  the  present  time.  From  1887  to 
to  1891  St.  John's  of  Stillwater  and  St.  Luke's  of  Mechanicville  were  served  by  the  same  rectors. 
During  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  A.  H.  Stubbs,  August  82, 1873,  the  present  church  was  erected,  and 
dedicated  January  3, 1876. 


HALPMOON,  1783-1800.  91 

1780.  The  male  members  of  the  Newton  church,  most  of  whom 
doubtless  lived  in  Halfmoon,  were  as  follows  in  1791:  Peter  Groom, 
William  Groom,  Daniel  Derbyshire,  James  Essex,  Matthew  Neally, 
Joshua  Miller,  Ephraim  Dunham,  William  Gorsline,  Richard  Clute, 
Timothy  Woodin,  George  Alford,  Joseph  Peck,  Nathaniel  Upham, 
Shubael  Waldo,  Peter  Baker,  John  Bell,  Moses  Lent,  Andrew  Evans, 
Abraham  Weldon,  Thomas  Mosher,  George  Ellsworth,  William  King 
and  Philip  King.     Some  of  these  already  have  been  noted  as  pioneers. 

Others  known  to  have  resided  in  the  town  as  early  as  1778  are:  Ja- 
cob Fort,  Adrian  Hegeman,  Jacob  I.  Lansing,  Christopher  Miller, 
Adam  I.  Van  Vranken,  Jeremiah  Vincent,  Israel  Van  Alstyne,  William 
Reeves,  Gerrit  Lansing,  James  Jones,  James  Dugan,  Joseph  Mosier, 
Henry  Brevoort,  Daniel  Van  Alstyne,  Cornelius  Groat,  Jacob  Ostrander, 
John  Slosson,  John  Clark,  Johannes  Fulmer,  Aarie  Banta,  Noah  Tay- 
lor, Jesse  Bronson,  Calvin  Fuller,  John  Quince,  Jacobus  Pearce, 
Gerardus  Clute,  Jacob  Hall,  Jacob  Steenburgh,  Charles  Hoffman, 
Jesse  Groat,  Michael  Bassett,  John  C.  Connell,  James  Shaw,  Gideon 
Close,  Peter  Faulkner,  John  Van  Vranken,  James  Grooms,  Joseph 
Fowler,  Stephen  Wiley,  Valentine  Brown,  Edward  Rexford,  Ezekiel 
Free,  Matthew  Gregory,  Nathan  Garnsey,  Andrew  Scouten,  Moses 
Scott,  James  Murray,  Jedediah  Rogers,  Josiah  Taylor,  Robert  El- 
dridge,  James  Scott,  Benjamin  Mix,  John  Way,  Samuel  Hicks,  John 
Knowlton,  William  Tripp,  Solomon  Burlingame,  Hendrick  Vander- 
werker,  William  Ashe,  John  R,  Van  Vranken,  John  Hamilton,  Anthony 
Leversie,  John  Barnes,  Timothy  Smith,  Israel  Brooks,  Clemens  Young, 
James  Youngs  and  Ebenezer  Landers. 

Taverns  were  plenty  in  Halfmoon  in  those  early  days.  Jn  1788  the 
official  list  contained  the  names  of  the  following  keepers  of  public 
houses:  William  Fuller,  Elizabeth  Peebles,  Henry  Bailey,  Daniel  Van 
Alstyne,  Joshua  Taylor,  Benjamin  Mix,  Nicholas  Fords,  Christian 
Smith,  Elias  Van  Steenburgh,  Peter  Faulkner,  John  Donald,  John 
Guerdon,  Nicholas  Teachout,  John  Flynn,  Jacob  Miller,  Aaron  Corn- 
stock,  James  Stein,  Anthony  Leversie,  Coonrad  Wesley,  Moses  Scott, 
Ira  Scott,  Garrett  Hannion,  Samuel  Connery,  Matthew  Gregory,  Jo- 
seph Potter,  Adam  Edson,  William  Ward,  Joseph  Sibley,  Jacobus  Van 
Schoonhoven,  Richard  Davis,  Joseph  Mosher,  Simeon  Groat,  William 
Waldron,  Hezekiah  Ketchum,  Jacobus  Ostrander,  John  C.  Connell, 
Dirck  Flansburgh,  Jededidh  Rogers,  John  Burhans  and  James  Scott. 
But   there  were  earlier    tavernkeepers  than   these.     A    man  named 


92  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Gates  had  a  public  house  south  of  the  creek  in  Mechanicville  during  the 

Revolution.     Henry  Bailey,  and  afterward Mills,  kept  one  a  mile 

farther  south,  on  the  river  road.  Shubael  Cross  had  a  tavern  at  Mid- 
dletown  during,  and  probably  before,  the  Revolution. 

Saw  mills  and  grist  mills  were  numerous  in  these  days.  There  was 
a  saw  mill  on  the  Steena  Kill  as  early  as  1762.     At  the  close  of  the  war 

Bradshaw  built  a  grist  mill  on  the  Devas  Kill.     Data  regarding 

construction  and  ownership  of  the  other  mills  is  lacking. 

Religious  services  were  held  in  Halfmoon  in  Revolutionary  times  if 
not  before  the  war.  But  there  is  in  existence  no  record  of  the  organ- 
ization of  any  church  society  before  the  war.  A  Friends'  meeting  was 
established  during  the  period  of  that  struggle  about  three  miles  south- 
west of  Mechanicville,  but  the  meetings  were  discontinued  about  1850. 
The  Reformed  Protestant  church  of  Middletown  was  incorporated 
November  14,  1791,  by  John  C.  Connell,  William  Ashe,  Abraham  I. 
Ouderkirk  and  Francis  Sill,  but  it  ceased  to  exist  many  years  ago. 
The  only  existing  church  which  was  established  during  the  early  period 
of  which  we  are  writing  is  St.  John's  Episcopal  church  of  Stillwater, 
which  had  many  members  residing  in  the  town  of  Halfmoon. 

SARATOGA. 

In  the  town  of  Saratoga  Jesse  Mott  was  an  early  settler,  coming  from 
Dutchess  county  to  Dean's  Corners  in  the  spring  of  1783.  In  1785  John 
Thorn,  also  from  Dutchess  county,  came  and  settled  on  the  farm  which 
since  has  remained  in  possession  of  his  family.  He  had  served  as  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolution.  Samuel  Bushee,  who  also  was  in  the  Amer- 
ican army,  came  from  Connecticut  about  the  same  time.  He  married 
the  daughter  of  Abram  Marshall,  and  purchased  of  the  Lansings  the 
farm  north  of  Schuylerville.  The  Lansings  owned  this  place  at  the 
time  it  was  occupied  by  Burgoyne's  officers.  Elihu  Billings  settled  on 
the  Cramer  hill  in  the  same  year.  A  short  time  after  Daniel  Morgan 
located  near  him.  Obadiah  Knapp  and  Mr.  Jeffords  were  early  settlers 
south  of  the  present  village  of  Victory  Mills. 

It  appears  that  farm  lands  in  the  western  part  of  Saratoga  were  im- 
proved at  the  same  time  and  at  about  as  great  a  rate  of  progress  as  in 
the  eastern  section,  after  the  war.  Settlements  were  made  near  Sara- 
toga lake  as  early  as  1784  or  1785.  In  connection  with  these  settle- 
ments is  an  interesting  bit  of  history : 

On  the  7th  day  of  August,  1781,  seven  men,  sent  from  Canada,  came  to  Albany 


SARATOGA,  1783-1800.  93 

and  in  the  evening  made  an  attack  upon  the  house  of  General  Schuyler,  where  he 
had  been  residing  after  the  destruction  of  his  buildings  at  Schuylerville.  Their 
object  was  to  kill  or  capture  the  general,  either  through  deadly  hate  at  his  past  ser- 
vices against  the  English  government,  or  perhaps  with  the  design  of  holding  the 
person  of  the  general  as  a  hostage  to  secure  terms  in  the  future  exchange  of  prison- 
ers. There  were  in  the  house  with  the  general  at  the  time  John  Ward  and  John 
Cokely,  two  of  his  life  guards,  and  also  John  Tubbs,  an  army-courier  in  his  service. 
These  three  men  made  a  gallant  iight  with  the  seven  assassins,  who  had  effected  an 
entrance  into  the  hall.  John  Tubbs,  as  his  children  now  relate  it,  had  a  personal 
struggle  with  one,  and  having  pressed  him  down  behind  an  old  oaken  chest,  with  his 
hand  on  his  throat,  tried  to  draw  a  knife  to  finish  him,  but  the  knife  was  gone,  and 
Tubbs  was  obliged  to  let  him  up.  Meanwhile  General  Schuyler  had,  from  the  win- 
dows above,  aroused  the  town,  and  the  seven  men  suddenly  left,  carrying  off  Tubbs 
and  Cokely  with  them  as  prisoners,  and  as  proof  that  they  had  actually  penetrated 
to  Schuyler's  house  and  made  an  attempt  to  execute  their  appointed  work.  The 
prisoners  were  kept  nineteen  months  on  an  island  in  the  St.  Lawrence.  Returning 
home  about  the  time  peace  was  declared.  General  Schuyler  presented  the  three  men 
with  a  deed  of  two  hundred  and  seventy  acres  of  land.  The  deed  is  now  [1878]  in  the 
possession  of  Simon  Tubbs,  son  of  John  Tubbs,  and  recites  that  "  In  consideration 
of  five  shillings,  and  that  John  Cokely,  John  Ward  and  John  Tubbs,  did  gallantly 
defend  the  said  Philip  Schuyler  when  attacked  in  his  own  house,  near  the  city  of 
Albany,  on  the  7th  day  of  August.  1781,  by  a  party  of  the  enemy  in  the  late  war, 
sent  expressly  to  kill  or  make  prisoner  of  the  said  Philip  Schuyler,"  the  party  of  the 
first  part  hath  granted  and  sold  to  the  said  Ward,  Cokely  and  Tubbs,  all  that  tract 
and  parcel  of  land  "  In  the  Saratoga  patent,  known  and  distinguished  as  the  west- 
ernmost farm  of  the  south  half  of  lot  No.  20  in  the  grand  division  of  Saratoga  patent, 
made  by  John  B.  Bleecker,  surveyor,  in  1750,  containing  about  two  hundred  and 
seventy  acres  of  land." 

The  land  was  first  divided  into  three  parts,  and  the  men  drew  for  their  respective 
portions,  and  soon  after  made  their  homes  in  this  section.  John  Tubbs's  portion  was 
a  part  of  the  present  place  of  Simon  Tubbs,  his  son;  John  Ward's,  the  farm  occupied 
until  recently  by  his  son;  and  John  Cokely's  share  is  also  now  owned  by  Simon 
Tubbs.  I 

Killiaen  De  Ridder  was  an  inhabitant  during,  possibly  before,  the 
Revolution.  In  1783  he  sold  a  farm  to  John  Vroman  for  ;^150.  Vro- 
man  in  turn,  sold  it  in  1797  to  John,  Henry  and  Samuel  Green. 
Stephen  Olney  was  in  town  during  the  war,  and  there  is  some  evidence 
that  he  operated  his  farm  even  as  early  as  1770.  Joseph  Rogers  set- 
tled here  during  the  war.  On  the  farm  he  owned  is  a  burial  ground 
containing  an  inscription  dated  1787.  Daniel  Wood  removed  in  1784 
from  the  farm  deeded  to  John  Tubbs  and  others  by  General  Philip 
Schuyler.  When  he  came  is  not  known.  Martin  Irish,  Ashbel  Irish, 
Oliver  Perkins,  Silas  Deuel,  Ephraim  Anable,  Stephen  Viele,  Johannes 

»  Sylvester's  History  o£  Saratoga  County,  1878. 


94  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Viele,  Ludovicus  Viele  and  Jesse  Toll  are  known  to  have  been  located 
in  town  prior  to  1790.  The  latter  at  one  time  owned  an  entire  grand 
division  of  the  Saratoga  patent — six  square  miles  of  land.  Walter  Van 
Veghten,  Herman  Van  Veghten,  Walter  Knickerbocker  and  Refine 
Geer  were  early  inhabitants  at  what  is  now  Coveville.  James  and 
Robert  Milligan  were  in  town  as  early  as  1785. 

Among  others  who  lived  within  the  limits  of  the  town  of  Saratoga 
during  the  latter  years  of  the  century  were  Sidney  Berry,  William 
Scott,  Asaph  Putnam,  William  Thomas,  Nelson  Winner,  Hezekiah 
Willis,  Benjamin  Jenkins,  Jonathan  Pettit,  James  McCreedy,  Amos 
Hawley,  William  Dudley,  Gamaliel  Vail,  Jacob  Toll,  Thomas  Bennett, 
John  Dillingham,  John  Brisbin,  David  Reynolds,  William  Wait,  Elisha 
Miles,  Elihu  Billings,  Jacob  Hicks,  Ebenezer  Bacon. 

There  were  several  mills  in  the  town.  The  old  mills  at  Grangerville 
were  erected  about  1791  or  1792  by  Jesse  Toll.  There  was  also  a  saw 
mill  at  Victory  Mills.  The  first  mills  in  town,  those  at  Schuylerville, 
already  have  been  described. 

The  town  was  well  supplied  with  taverns.  In  the  letters  of  Madam 
Riedesel,  written  in  1777,  she  refers  to  a  tavern  kept  by  "a  man 
named  Smith,  on  the  way  down  the  river,"  evidently  but  a  short  dis- 
tance below  Schuylerville.  Samuel  Bushee  probably  kept  a  tavern  at 
the  same  spot  a  few  years  afterwards.  A  tavern  was  kept  by  a  widow, 
Mrs.  Taylor,  in  Schuylerville  very  early  in  the  present  century,  but 
there  is  no  mention  in  the  early  records  of  its  having 'been  maintained 
prior  to  1800.  Other  public  houses  probably  were  kept  by  Archibald 
McNiel  and Scribner. 

Stores  were  located  at  convenient  points  in  the  rapidly  growing 
town.  The  earliest  merchant  appears  to  have  been  located  at  Schuy- 
lerville, but  there  is  no  mention  of  his  name,  and,  in  fact,  nothing 
very  definite  on  this  point.  The  first  merchant  whose  name  has  been 
preserved  in  this  connection  was  John  Douglass,  whose  store  was 
located  south  of  Schuylerville.  Herman  Van  Veghten  also  had  a  store 
at  Coveville  about  the  same  time. 

The  professions  were  well  represented.  Among  the  physicians  were 
Doctors  Bull,  Bryant,  Pierce,  Billings,  Dimmick,  Copp,  Dean,  Smith 
and  Brisbin.  All  were  prominently  identified  with  the  progress  of  the 
community.  Richard  M.  Livingston  was  an  early  lawyer,  his  oflfice 
being  located  first  at  Coveville  and  afterward,  as  Schuylerville  devel- 
oped and  increased  in  population,  at  that  village. 


SARATOGA,  1783-1800.  95 

The  pioneers  of  Saratoga  were  not  unmindful  of  the  education  of 
their  offspring,  as  is  shown  in  the  number  of  schools  established  at  an 
early  day  in  various  parts  of  the  town.  One  of  the  very  earliest  was  a 
log  school  house  located  on  the  farm  of  Daniel  Morgan.  An  early 
teacher  was  a  Mr.  Tucker.  Two  other  schools  were .  located  within 
three  miles  of  this  one.  Another  log  school  house  stood  in  the  Fitch 
neighborhood.  At  Grangerville  a  school  was  kept  about  1800  by  Mr, 
Stephens.  School  text  books  were  scarce  and  valuable  in  those  days, 
and  frequently  one  book  had  to  answer  for  the  use  of  the  children  in 
three  or  four  different  families. 

The  first  public  action  regarding  schools  occurred  in  1796,  when 
these  school  commissioners  were  appointed  under  the  existing  law: 
Sidney  Berry,  Herman  Van  Veghten,  Joseph  Palmer,  Thomas  Jeffords 
and  Benjamin  Phillips.  In  1797  the  commissioners  were  Sidney  Berry, 
Daniel  Bull,  Joseph  Palmer,  Thomas  Jeffords  and  Solomon  Wheeler; 
in  1798,  Thomas  Jeffords,  William  Force  and  George  Cramer;  in  1800, 
Thomas  Jeffords,  Elihu  Billings,  Daniel  Bull  and  William  Wait. 

The  earliest  religious  society  mentioned  is  that  of  the  Friends,  who 
met  in  a  log  meeting-house  south  of  Quaker  Springs,  which  place  was 
named  after  them.  These  meetings  were  held  as  early  as  1765  or  1770 
by  Quakers  who  had  removed  from  Stillwater.  Among  the  founders 
of  the  local  society  were  Gabriel  and  Isaac  Leggett,  Tibbett  Soule, 
Thomas  and  Fones  Wilbur,  George  Davis,  David  Shepherd  and  John 
Walker.  October  16,  1793,  John  A.  Bleecker  sold  to  Isaac  Leggett 
and  William  Barker,  as  trustees,  a  site  for  a  meeting- house.' 

The  Reformed  Dutch  church  of  Saratoga  was  in  existence  as  early 
as  1772,  but  little  is  known  of  the  early  career  of  this  society.  Its  first 
house  of  worship  stood  near  the  spot  where  General  Burgoyne  handed 
his  sword  to  General  Gates,  and  the  building  for  several  weeks  prior 
thereto  had  been  occupied  by  the  British  troops  as  a  hospital.  During 
the  war  the  society  was  dissolved,  but  it  was  reorganized  July  10,  1789, 
by  the  election  of  CorneHus  Van  Veghten  and  Peter  Becker  as  elders 
and  Jesse  Toll  and  James  Abel  as  deacons.  Rev.  Samuel  Smith  ac- 
cepted a  call  to  the  pastorate,  began  preaching  in  December  following 
and  was  ordained  in  January,  1790.  Ten  years  later  he  removed  to 
New  Jersey,     A  parsonage  was  erected  in  1793  on  a  tract  of  fifty  acres 

1  The  first  minister  of  this  society  was  Isaac  Leggett,  who  served  many  years.    About  1820 
Andrew  Dorland  began  to  serve  in  that  capacity,  leading  the  flock  tor  more  than  halt  a  century. 


96  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

of  land  north  of  Schuylerville.'  In  1790  the  First  Baptist  church  of 
Saratoga  was  constituted,  being  received  the  following  year  as  a  mem  • 
ber  of  the  old  Shaftsbury  association.  Though  the  records  of  the 
Shaftsbury  association  do  not  show  it,  the  claim  has  been  made  that  the 
organization  was  eflEected  as  early  as  1772.  This  is  merely  tradition, 
however,  and  1790  must  be  accepted  as  the  date  of  organization  in  the 
absence  of  other  records.  In  1791  the  church  had  forty-seven  mem- 
bers, and  the  pastor  was  Rev.  Samuel  Rogers.' 

SARATOGA  SPRINGS,   TOWN  AND   VILLAGE. 

The  development  of  the  town  of  Saratoga  Springs  during  the  last 
two  decades  of  the  eighteenth  century  was  hastened,  no  doubt,  by  the 
prospect  of  increasing  popularity  of  and  travel  to  the  mineral  springs 
situated  within  the  limits  of  that  town.  Coincident  with  the  settle- 
ment of  the  land  about  the  springs  was  the  settlement  of  the  adjacent 
farming  lands  in  the  town. 

Upon  the  death  of  Samuel  Norton,  the  first  and  only  permanent  set- 
tler at  the  springs  before  the  Revolution,  which  occurred  during  the 
latter  days  of  the  war,  one  of  his  sons  occupied  his  father's  possessions. 
Which  son  succeeded  his  father  is  not  known.  The  senior  Norton  mar- 
ried Sarah  Deems  at  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  and  their  children  were 
Samuel,  Asa,  Isaiah,  Rhoda,  Sarah,  Polly,  Louise  and  Cora.  In  the 
fall  of  1787  the  Norton  place  was  purchased  by  Gideon  Morgan,  who 
sold  it  a  few  weeks  later  to  Alexander  Bryan.'  The  latter  located  there 

'  After  the  retirement  of  Rev.  Samuel  Smith  in  1800  the  pulpit  was  vacant  two  years.  In  De- 
cember, 1802,  Rev.  Philip  Duryea  became  pastor,  remaining  as  such  for  a.  quartei^  of  a  century. 
In  1823  several  members  founded  the  church  at  Bacon  Hill.  About  the  same  time  the  old  meet- 
ing-house w»s  taken  down  and  most  of  the  material  used  in  the  erection  of  a  new  edifice  in  Schuy- 
lerville. In  1831  this  building  was  burned.  It  was  replaced  by  a  stone  structure  which  stood 
until  1856,  when  it  was  demolished  and  a  new  brick  church  erected. 

2  This  church,  now  the  Baptist  church  of  Schuylerville,  united  with  the  Saratoga  association 
in  1805.  Jordan's  Bridge  was  an  early  place  of  baptism.  A  meeting-house,  perhaps  not  the  first, 
however,  was  erected  about  1807,  and  stood  about  three  miles  from  Schuylerville.  About  1833  a 
new  church  was  erected  in  Schuylerville.  The  church  at  Fish  Creek  was  organized  prior  to  1800 
by  members  of  this  church.  Rev.  Samuel  Rogers,  the  first  pastor  of  the  original  church,  served 
as  a  teamster  attached  to  the  army  of  General  Gates  at  the  time  of  the  battle  of  Saratoga.  It  is 
related  that  one  night,  while  he  was  carrying  a  load  of  specie  northward,  over  very  muddy  roads, 
he  was  so  closely  pursued  by  the  British  that  he  was  obliged  to  cut  his  team  loose  and  carry  the 
kegs  of  treasure  into  the  woods.  All  night  he  guarded  them,  and  the  following  day  he  delivered 
them  at  their  destination.    His  death  occurred  in  Stillwater  in  1823. 

'  Bryan's  parents  were  fugitives  from  Acadia  when  its  inhabitants  were  driven  out  by  the 
British.  They  first  settled  in  Dutchess  county,  N.  Y.,  where  Bryan  married  a  sister  of  Senator 
Talmadge.  Before  the  Revolution  he  removed  to  a  point  about  two  miles  north  of  Waterford, 
where  he  kept  a  tavern  for  many  years.  He  was  an  eccentric  character.  At  his  tavern  above 
Waterford  he  used  to  entertain  partisans  of  both  contending  parties,  patriots  and  tories,  and  so 


SARATOGA  SPRINGS,  1783-1800.  97 

at  once,  his  new  home  being  situated  near  the  site  of  the  old  Empire 
house.  He  soon  built  another  log  house  for  the  accommodation  of 
summer  guests,  of  whom  he  had  large  numbers.  No  other  public 
houses  existed  at  the  springs  during  the  last  century,  excepting  the 
tavern  built  by  Benjamin  Risley  during  1790  or  1791. 

Merchants  located  at  the  springs  before  there  were  enough  inhabit- 
ants within  range  to  support  a  single  individual,  unless  enormous  profit 
were  asked  and  received.  This  probably  was  the  case,  for  as  early  as 
1794  John  and  Ziba  Taylor,  brothers,  located  here  and  became  the  pio- 
neer merchants  of  the  newly  founded  village.  John  Taylor  conducted 
his  business  in  the  Schouten  house,  then  owned  and  occupied  by  Ben- 
jamin Risley.  Later  he  built  a  small  log  house  about  seven  or  eight 
hundred  feet  north  of  High  Rock  spring,  in  which  he  and  his  brother 
had  a  store  for  many  years.  They  also  bought  a  great  deal  of  land  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  springs,  which  they  cleared;  built  saw  mills  and 
grist  mills  and  in  general  became  prominent  and  influential.  The 
"Ten  springs"  were  first  owned  and  developed  by  John  Taylor,  who 
resided  there  many  years,  Ziba  continuing  in  business  in  the  upper  vil- 
lage. The  two  daughters  of  Richard  Searing,  a  pioneer  of  Greenfield, 
became  the  wives  of  these  two  brothers.  John  married  Polly  Searing, 
and  Ziba  married  Sally  Searing.  Ziba's  daughter,  Mary,  became  the 
wife  of  Dr.  John  H.  Steele,  the  historical  writer. 

In  the  town  of  Saratoga  Springs  numerous  settlemeats  were  made 
during  the  Revolution.  The  earliest  inhabitant  in  the  southeastern 
part  of  the  town  was  Benjamin  French,  whose  home  was  near  Saratoga 

adroit  and  diplomatic  was  he  that  he  became  the  unreserved  confidant  of  both  parties,  without 
being  suspected  6f  treachery  by  either.  But  there  is  no  doubt  of  his  patriotism.  Dr.  John  H. 
Steele  in  his  "Analysis"  wrote:  "When  General  Gates  took  command  of  the  Northern  army, 
he  applied  to  the  committee  of  safety  of  Stillwater  to  provide  a  suitable  person  to  go  into  Bur- 
goyne's  camp,  with  a  view  to  obtain  a  knowledge  of  the  movements  of  the  enemy.  Bryan  was 
immediately  selected  as  a  person  well  qualified  to  undertake  the  hazardous  enterprise,  and  he 
readily  agreed  to  accomplish  it.  About  the  same  time  he  was  applied  to  by  a  friend  of  the  enemy 
to  carry  some  intelligence  which  he  deemed  of  importance  to  Burgoyne;  this  he  likewise  under- 
took, having  secretly  obtained  the  consent  of  General  Gates  for  that  purpose.  By  pursuing  a 
circuitous  route,  he  arrived  unmolested  at  the* camp  of  the  enemy,  which  was  then  situated  in  the 
vicinity  of  Fort  Edward.  Having  had  several  interviews  with  General  Burgoyne,  by  whom  he 
was  closely  examined,  he  was  finally  employed  by  that  officer  to  superintend  some  concerns  in 
the  ordnance  department.  He  tarried  sufficiently  long  to  obtain  the  required  information  when 
he  privately  left  the  camp  in  the  gray  of  the  morning  of  the  15th  of  September;  but  he  had  not 
proceeded  many  miles  before  he  discovered  that  he  was  pursued  by  two  horsemen;  these,  how- 
ever, he  contrived  to  avoid,  and  arrived  safely  at  Gates's  head  quarters  late  on  the  following  night, 
and  communicated  the  first  intelligence  of  the  enemy's  having  crossed  the  Hudson  and  being  on 
the  advance  to  Stillwater.  This  intelligence  was  of  great  importance,  as  it  led  to  the  immediate 
preparation  for  the  sanguinary  engagement  which  ensued  on  the  19th  of  the  same  month." 
7 


98  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

lake  as  early  as  1780.  He  owned  a  fertile  tract  of  about  1,200  acres. 
He  also  resided  for  a  short  time  previous  to  this  in  a  cabin  at  the  north 
end  of  Lonely  lake,  or  Owl  pond,  a  small  body  half  or  three-quarters 
of  a  mile  north  of  Saratoga  lake.  He  had  three  sons,  John,  Benjamin 
and  Richard.  A  little  south  of  Mr.  French  lived  Mr.  Upton,  but  the 
time  of  his  coming  is  unknown. 

Amos  Stafford  was  the  first  resident  of  the  community  which  now 
bears  the  name  of  Stafford's  Bridge.  Tradition  says  that  he  killed  such 
immense  numbers  of  wolves  that  the  bounty  he  received  therefor  was 
sufficient  to  pay  for  the  farm  he  settled.  Amos  Stafford  had  seven 
children.  The  oldest,  Mary,  became  Mrs.  Green  of  Saratoga.  Her 
first  husband  dying,  she  married  John  Hicks  and  removed  to  Waterloo, 
Seneca  county.  Henry,  the  oldest  son,  removed  to  Penn  Yan,  N.  Y. 
Samuel  removed  to  Victor,  N.  Y.  Amos  remained  upon  the  home- 
stead. Rensselaer  located  in  Saratoga,  his  farm  adjoining  his  father's. 
Rachael  married  Anthony  Maxwell  of  the  town  of  Saratoga.  Phoebe 
became  the  wife  of  Gerrit  I.  Lansing  of  Half  moon.  Among  the  earliest 
neighbors  of  Amos  Stafford  were  John,  Henry  and  Nicholas  Wagman, 
and  Amos  Peck.  Asa,  William  and  Staats  Jewell,  brothers,  settled  at 
the  close  of  the  century  on  the  farm  which  until  his  death  was  occupied 
by  ex-Mayor  Thomas  B.  Carroll  of  Troy,  who  spent  his  later  years  as 
a  resident  of  Saratoga  county.  Another  early  resident  was  Pardon 
Fish,  who  resided  ndrth  of  what  is  now  Moon's  hotel.  About  1796 
Zachariah  and  Henry  Curtis,  brothers,  came  from  Stillwater  and  took 
up  three  hundred  acres  of  unimproved  land,  most  of  which  is  still  in 
the  possession  of  his  family.  They  were  originally  from  Chatham, 
Columbia  county,  David  Abel  and  his  brother  came  from  Dutchess 
county  about  1779  and  located  on  the  east  side  of  the  lake,  on  the  farm 
surrounding  the  White  Sulphur  spring.  The  brother  remained  there, 
but  about  1790  David  removed  to  the  west  side  of  the  lake.  He  had 
four  sons,  David,  Peter,  Jacob  and  Richard.  The  former  succeeded  to 
the  ownership  of  the  home  farm,  and  the  others  went  west.  His 
daughters  became  Mrs.  James  Barhydt,  Mrs.  John  Whitford  and  Mrs. 
Andrus  Riley.  Benjamin  Avery  came  from  Dutchess  county  about 
1790  and  located  about  two  miles  from  Stafford's.  He  reared  a  family 
of  several  sons.  Of  these,  James  and  Edward  settled  in  Wilton,  Fred- 
erick and  Hiram  in  Saratoga,  and  Calvin  in  Saratoga  Springs.  Austin 
and  Orlin  died  young.  Benjamin  Avery's  daughters  became  Mrs. 
Noah  Weed  of  Greenfield  and  Mrs.  John  Kelly  of  the  same  town. 


SARATOGA  SPRINGS,  1783-1800.  99 

Robert  Ellis  was  the  pioneer  at  what  is  now  known  as  "The 
Geysers."  He  located  there  as  early  as  1777.  His  sons  were  Robert, 
jr.,  Myron,  Charles  and  one  other,  and  his  daughters  became  Mrs. 
George  Peck,  Mrs.  Pitkin,  Mrs.  James  R.  Westcot  and  Mrs.  Joseph 
Westcot.  Mr.  Westcot's  neighbors  during  the  period  of  which  we  are 
writing  included  John  Scott  and  Robert  Welds.  Among  those  who 
settled  near  by  about  1780  were  John  and  Jeremiah  Cady,  brothers. 
One  of  them  built  a  home  on  Cady  Hill,  and  another  built  a  home 
which  subsequently  became  a  tavern.  Jeremiah  removed  west  at  an 
early  day.  John  had  two  sons,  Thomas  and  Jeremiah.  Robert  Ayers, 
who  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution,  settled  soon  after  the  war  near 
what  is  now  "  the  Dry  bridge,"  in  the  southern  part  of  the  town  along 
the  Delaware  and  Hudson  railroad.  His  wife  was  a  Miss  Ashton.  He 
became  a  large  landholder,  his  property  including  some  of  the  rich 
land  along  the  Kayaderosseras.  Of  his  two  sons,  John  and  Isaac,  the 
former  settled  in  Saratoga  and  the  latter  went  west.  One  of  his  daugh- 
ters became  Mrs.  Hicks  Seaman,  mother  of  Hicks  Seaman,  whose 
family  now  occupy  the  old  Ayers  homestead.  The  others  became  Mrs. 
Elisha  Rockwell  of  Milton  and  Mrs.  Ransom  Cook  of  Saratoga  Springs. 
Thomas  Brown  and  Mr.  Wallace  lived  near  him.  Foster  Whitford, 
who  had  an  early  mill  in  Saratoga,  near  Snake  hill,  had  several  sons, 
one  of  whom,  John  C,  settled  in  Saratoga  Springs. 

One  of  the  earliest  mills  in  town  was  built  before  1800  near  the 
Geysers  by  Robert  Ellis,  of  whom  mention  is  made  in  the  foregoing. 

Dr.  Carpenter  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  physician  to  locate  in  the 
town  of  Saratoga  Springs.  He  was  a  devout  member  of  the  Baptist 
church. 

The  records  in  existence  fail  to  mention  any  schools  or  churches  in 
the  town  of  Saratoga  Springs  in  the  eighteenth  century  except  those  in 
the  village  of  that  name.  The  oldest  church  in  town  is  the  First 
Baptist  church  of  Saratoga  Springs  village,  which  was  formed  in  1791 
by  ten  members  of  the  First  Baptist  church  of  Stillwater,  located  at 
Bemus  Heights,  who  had  moved  to  the  west  side  of  the  lake,  in  this 
town.  This  church  was  not  received  into  fellowship  until  October  11, 
1793,  when  it  had  but  twenty  members.  Services  were  conducted 
several  years  by  visiting  preachers  or  laymen,  and  the  congregation 
had  no  regular  house  of  worship  for  many  years  as  far  as  the  records 
show.' 

'  The  first  church  edifice  was  erected  in  1809  on  land  east  of  the  Geyser  spring  procured  from 


100  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

CHARLTON. 

A  large  portion  of  the  territory  embraced  within  the  limits  of  the 
town  of  Charlton  was  originally  given  as  part  payment  for  labor  per- 
formed, to  the  commissioners  who  surveyed  aijd  distributed  the  lands 
included  in  the  Kayaderosseras  Patent.  Five  thousand  acres  in  Charl- 
ton, the  northern  boundary  of  which  is  now  coincident  with  the  high- 
way running  east  and  west  through  the  village  of  Charlton,  was  one  of 
the  tracts  awarded  to  these  commissioners.  This  tract  was  sold  at 
public  auction  by  the  commissioners,  the  purchasers  being  Dirck  Lef- 
ferts,  Cornelius  Clopper,  Isaac  Low  and  Benjamin  Kissam.  By  the 
return  of  Low  to  England  and  the  death  of  Kissam,  Lefferts  and  Clop- 
per secured  title  to  the  entire  tract,  which  they  cut  up  into  farms  and 
sold  to  the  newcomers.  Joseph  Van  Kirk,  who  bought  a  farm  next 
to  the  Ballston  line,  was  the  first  settler  on  this  tract,  during  the  early 
days  of  the  Revolution.  Soon  afterward  Joseph  La  Rue,  who  pre- 
viously had  located  a  mile  and  a  half  northeast  of  Charlton  village,  took 
up  the  farm  west  of  Van  Kirk's.  James  Bradshaw  and  Jesse  Conde 
settled  there  within  a  year  or  so  after  La  Rue's  removal.  John  Rogers 
built  a  home  on  Aalplaats  kill,  and  immediately  afterward,  as  early  as 
1778,  erected  a  saw  mill  there.  This  was  the  first  saw  mill  in  Charlton. 
It  was  located  about  half  a  mile  south  of  Charlton  village.  In  the 
eastern  part  of  the  town,  north  of  Van  Kirk's,  Nathaniel  Cook  and  his 
family — a  wife,  eight  sons  and  one  daughter — founded  a  new  home  in 
the  summer  of  1778.  They  came  from  New  Jersey.  Their  oldest  son, 
Asher,  and  his  wife  located  on  a  hundred  acre  farm  about  two  miles 

Robert  Ellis.  In  1822  they  removed  to  Saratoga  Springs  village  and  occupied  a  building  stand- 
ing on  the  site  of  the  present  church.  In  1846  this  building  was  remodeled  and  repaired.  In  1855 
the  increasing  membership  rendered  the  erection  of  a  new  edifice  necessary,  and  this  building 
was  dedicated  in  August,  1856.  It  cost  about  $18,000.  The  first  parsonage  was  built  in  1833.  The 
church  had  no  regular  pastor  until  1800,  when,  on  December  18,  Rev.  Elisha  P.  Langworthy  was 
ordained  to  the  ministry.  He  resided  in  Ballston  Spa,  where  his  death  occurred  in  1828.  He  fre- 
quently would  walk  to  church  in  the  depth  of  winter,  a  distance  of  five  miles;  and  as  there  was 
no  fire  in  the  church,  would  preach  with  his  mittens  and  overcoat  on.  After  an  intermission, 
during  which  the  devoted  members  of  the  congregation  would  eat  their  cold  lunches,  he  would 
preach  a  second  sermon.  The  succeeding  pastors  have  been:  1819-1823,  Francis  Wayland:  1833- 
1825,  John  Lamb;  1826-1826,  David  R.  Mackelfresh;  1829-1845,  Joshua  Fletcher;  1847-1849,  Arnold 
Kingsbury;  1850-1855.  Austin  H.  Stowel;  1855-1859,  Luther  W.  Beecher;  D.D.;  1861-1864,  A.  W. 
Sawyer;  1864-1870,  L.  M.  Woodruff;  1870-1871,  William  Cheetham;  1871-1872,  supplied  by  Samuel  H. 
Greene  and  E.  H.  Bronson;  1873-1876,  E.  A.  Woods;  1876-1886,  George  A.  Smith;  1887-1891,  George 
B.  Foster;  1891-1894,  George  W.  Nicholson;.  1894  to  the  present  time,  Tileston  P.  Chambers. 
December  30, 1884,  a  new  Baptist  chapel  at  the  Geysers  was  dedicated.  The  Sunday  school  was 
organized  May  1, 1870.  •  A  parsonage  was  erected  in  1892,  next  to  the  church  on  Washington 
street,  a  gift  from  Mrs.  Hervey  P.  Hall  as  a  memorial  to  her  husband. 


CHARLTON,  1783-1800.  101 

north  of  Charlton  village.     There  are  many  descendants  of  Nathaniel 
Cook  now  residing  in  the  town. 

A  number  of  Scotch  families  from  Whithorn  parish,  in  Galloway, 
Scotland,  sailed  for  America  in  1774,  and  finally  settled  in  what  is  now 
the  town  of  Galway — named  for  Galloway.  The  year  following  a 
number  of  their  friends  in  Scotland  followed  them  and  settled  in  the 
northern  part  of  Charlton,  just  south  of  their  neighbors  in  Galway. 
Among  these  hardy  pioneers  were  William  Gilchrist,  James  Bell,  An- 
drew Bell,  Robert  McKinney,  John  McWilliams,  and  others.  This 
settlement  was  called  "Scotch  Street."  During  the  Revolution,  which 
even  then  was  in  progress,  some  of  these  families  left  their  homes  and 
remained  in  Albany  or  Schenectady  for  safety.  They  retained  the 
titles  to  their  newly-acquired  lands,  however,  which  for  the  most  part 
are  still  retained  by  their  descendants.  Several  of  them,  including 
Abram  Van  Epps,  Alexander  Gilchrist  and  Aaron  Schermerhorn,  re- 
moved into  the  western  part  of  the  town  after  the  war.  Tunis  Swart 
and  John  Van  Patten  accompanied  them.  Hezekiah  Watkins,  who 
fought  with  the  American  army  in  the  Revolution,  and  John  Anderson, 
a  soldier  under  General  Burgoyne,  who  was  one  of  the  prisoners  sur- 
rendered at  Saratoga  in  1777,  settled  also  near  West  Charlton.  John 
Holmes,  from  New  Jersey,  settled  about  1775  about  three-quarters  of 
a  mile  west  of  Charlton  village,  where  he  soon  after  built  the  first  grist 
mill  in  town.  In  1786  Phoenix  Cox  built  a  home  north  of  Charlton, 
fie  came  from  New  Jersey,  where  he  was  a  militiaman  in  1776.  His 
son  Asher  inherited  the  farm.  Abraham  Northrup  located  about  a 
mile  south  of  Charlton  in  1785,  occupying  two  hundred  acres  of  land 
purchased  of  Lefferts  and  Clopper.  Zopher  Wicks  located  two  miles 
north  of  Charlton  about  1786.  One  son,  Zopher  Wicks,  jr.,  started  the 
first  blacksmith  shop  in  town.  The  other  son,  David,  remained  on  the 
homestead,  which  finally  became  his  by  inheritance.  Isaac  Smith,  who 
came  from  Lenox,  Mass.,  settled  in  the  southern  part  of  the  town. 
Gideon  Hawley,  from  Connecticut,  was  another  pioneer.  He  was  the 
father  of  Gideon  Hawley,  the  first  superintendent  of  public  schools  for 
the  State  of  New  York,  appointed  in  1813.  He  was  a  lawyer  and  a 
graduate  of  Union  College.'  The  families  of  Robert  and  Alison  Bun- 
yan  and  Robert  and  Alison  Hume,  of  good  Scotch  blood,  located  a  short 
distance  east  of  West  Charlton  in  1794,  their  farms  adjoining.   William, 

'  See  chapter  on  Bench  and  Bar. 


102  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

son  of  Robert  Bunyan,  married  Isabel,  daughter  of  Robert  Hume. 
Robert  Bunyan  died  in  1799.     His  son  died  in  1837. 

The  Low  family  was  prominent  in  public  affairs  for  many  years. 
The  pioneer,  James  Low,  located  between  Charlton  and  West  Charlton 
soon  after  the  war.  John  Low  was  supervisor  for  many  yeara,  from 
1821  to  1832  and  from  1834  to  1836,  inclusive.  Thomas  Low  served 
the  county  as  sheriff.  The  first  marble  grave-stone  erected  in  the  town 
marks  the  grave  of  Mrs.  Abigail  Low,  who  died  April  11,  1797.  Cap- 
tain Kenneth  Gordon,  who  had  been  a  minute  man  in  the  Revolution, 
came  to  town  before  the  end  of  the  war  and  located  on  what  is  now  the 
De  Ridder  farm.  His  son,  Joseph  Gordon,  resided  in  Ballston  Spa  for 
many  years.  In  1785  Seth  Kirby  purchased  the  farm  recently  occupied 
by  the  widow  of  Col.  F.  D.  Curtis.  His  son,  Major  Thomas  Kirby, 
was  an  ensign  in  the  war  of  1812,  The  latter's  second  daughter  be- 
came the  wife  of  Colonel  Curtis.  The  Kirbys  were  descended  from  two 
brothers  who  fled  from  England  on  the  downfall  of  Oliver  Cromwell, 
they  having  been  numbered  among  the  adherents  of  the  great  dictator. 
They  were  members  of  the  council  which  sentenced  Charles  I  to  death. 

Other  settlers  during  the  period  under  discussion  were  John  Boyd, 
John  Munro,  Henry  Carl,  John  and  Nicholas  Angle,  Amos  Sherwood, 

Aaron  Schermerhorn,  James  Valentine,  Samuel  Parent, Stevens, 

Chapman,  Ahasuerus  Wendell,  Nathan  Hinman,  James  Taylor, 

Eli  Northrup,  John  Hays, Arrowsmith,  Jeremiah  Smith  and  Jacob 

Deremer. 

Dr.  William  Mead  was  the  first  physician  to  practice  in  Charlton, 
There  is  no  record  of  any  lawyer  having  an  office  here  before  1800. 

The  first  store  in  town  probably  was  that  kept  by  Davis  &  Bostwick, 
established  about  1785.  They  failed  in  business  in  1794,  and  were  suc- 
ceeded by  Channcey  and  Samuel  Belding,  brothers,  the  first  of  whom 
settled  in  town  about  1790  and  the  latter  about  1792.  The  Beldings 
became  men  of  wealth  and  influence.  Chauncey  was  a  member  of 
assembly  in  1807  and  1808,  and  Samuel  served  in  that  office  in  1823. 

The  saw  mill  built  by  John  Rogers  on  Aalplaats  creek  about  1778 
was  the  first  in  town.  The  grist  mill  of  John  Holmes,  west  of  Charl- 
ton, was  the  first  of  that  kind  in  town. 

The  first  church  organization  existing  in  Charlton  prior  to  the  pres- 

'  William  and  Isabel  Bunyan  were  the  parents  of  John  Bunyan.  The  latter  married  Jane 
Tweed  Chalmers,  and  their  son,  Thomas  C.  Banyan,  now  of  Berthoud,  Col.,  was  from  1874  to 
1893  principal  of  the  Union  Free  schools  of  Ballston  Spa. 


GALWAY,  1783-1800.  103 

ent  century  was  the  "  Presbyterian  Churcli  of  Freehold,  in  Charlton," 
so  named  because  most  of  its  members,  inhabitants  of  the  eastern  part 
of  the  town,  came  from  Freehold,  N.  J.  The  church  was  organized 
January  3,  1786,  and  placed  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  presbytery  of 
New  York,  having'  been  incorporated  according  to  the  laws  of  the  State 
of  New  York.  In  the  following  summer  a  small  frame  church  was 
erected. ' 

The  second  church  was  the  ' '  Scotch  Street  church, "  now  the  United 
Presbyterian  church  of  West  Charlton. '  It  was  founded  by  the  early 
Scotch  settlers  at  "Scotch  Street,"  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town. 
The  society  was  organized  soon  after  the  Revolution,  but  there  was  no 
regular  pastor  nor  house  of  worship  until  1794.  In  that  year,  a  church 
edifice  having  been  erected,  a  call  was  extended  to  Rev.  James  Mairs, 
and  he  was  duly  installed  as  pastor  February  20,  1794.  This  relation 
remained  unbroken  until  May  20,  1835,  when  Mr.  Mairs  removed  to 
the  vicinity  of  New  York,  where  he  preached  in  various  places  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  September  18,  1840. 

GALWAY. 

The  settlements  at  Scotch  Street,  made  in  1774,  were  followed  soon 
after  by  others  farther  north  in  the  town  of  Galway.  About  four 
years  later  a  colony  came  from  Centrehook,  R.  I.,  and  located  near 
York's  Corners,  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  town.  Among  them 
were  Rev.  Simeon  Smith  and  his  parents,  and  Simeon  Babcock,  Reuben 
Mattison  and  Joseph  Brown,  his  brothers-in-law.     Three  or  four  years 

1  A  new  church  was  built  in  1802,  and  still  a  third  in  1853,  the  latter  costing  $4,500.  A  year 
later  the  society  purchased  a  parsonage  adjoining  the  church.  Soon  after  the  erection  of  the 
iirst  house  of  worship  Rev.  William  Schenck  of  Ballston  was  engaged  to  preach  here  one-third  of 
the  time,  as  a  stated  supply.  From  17S9  to  1793  the  pulpit  was  supplied  by  the  presbytery.  The 
first  regular  pastor  of  the  church,  Rev.  Samuel  Sturges,  was  installed  June  21, 1793.  He  remained 
four  years;  then  the  pulpit  was  vacant  until  1800,  when  Rev.  Joseph  Sweetman  became  pastor. 
The  pastors  succeeding  him  have  been  :  Revs.  Isaac  Watts  Piatt,  1820-25;  John  Clancy,  1825-45; 
Richard  H.  Steele,  1848-50;  GeorgeL.  Taylor,  1853-54;  James  N.  Crocker,  1855-67;  John  R.  Sanson, 
1869-75;  Clarence  W.  Backus,  1876-82;  Raymond  Hoyt  Stearns,  1883-92;  Walter  A.  Hitchcock,  1893 
to  the  present  time.  The  interior  of  the  church  was  remodeled  during  the  summer  of  1892.  The 
manse  burned  to  the  ground  March  2, 1896.  During  the  year  it  was  replaced  by  a  new  modern 
dwelling. 

2  The  iirst  church,  a  frame  structure,  built  in  1794,  stood  in  the  southeast  corner  of  John  Mc- 
Kinley's  farm,  in  the  town  of  Galway.  In  1803  a  larger  house  of  worship  was  erected  on  the 
farm  of  James  Bell  in  Charlton,  on  the  site  of  the  West  Charlton  cemetery.  William  Bunyan 
and  Robert  Brown  were  the  builders.  A  new  church  was  built  in  1846,  and  thirty  years  later 
about  $3,000  was  expended  in  alterations  and  repairs.  A  parsonage  was  erected  in  1837.  Sunday 
schools  were  maintained  for  many  years  in  various  school  districts,  but  in  1861  these  were  all 
merged  in  the  school  which  has  since  met  regularly  in  the  church. 


104  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

later  about  a  dozen  families  from  New  Jersey  formed  a  little  colony  in 
the  southeastern  part  of  the  town,  which  they  called  Jersey  Hill.  This 
colony  included  Peter  Anderson,  James  Hayes,  Richard  Paul,  John 
Hinman,  Dudley  Smith, Harrison, Hedding.  A  short  dis- 
tance southwest  from  this  colony  John  McMartin,  Duncan  Stewart, 

James  Clizbe  and Ferguson  settled  about  the  same  time.     Job 

Cornell,  and  his  wife,  Sarah  Wood,  who  came  from  Rhode  Island,  set- 
tled about  three  and  a  half  miles  north  of  Galway  about  1788  or  1789. 
There  their  son,  Job  Cornell,  jr.,  was  born  in  1789.  The  latter  became 
the  father  of  William  Cornell  of  Mosherville.  Lewis  Stone  and  his 
wife,  Sally  Warren,  came  from  New  York  to  Galway  in  1794,  where 
their  son,  Augustus  L.  Stone,  was  born.  Pilgrim  Durkee  and  his  wife, 
Hannah  Holmes,  settled  about  half  a  mile  east  of  West  Galway  about 
1784,  and  there  raised  a  family  of  six  sons  and  five  daughters.  One 
son,  Eber  C.  Durkee,  remained  on  the  homestead  for  many  years. 
Gen.  Earl  Stimson  was  an  early  settler  near  Galway  village,  on  the  hill 
known  as  Stimson's  Corners.  He  had  two  stores,  a  hotel,  and  a  meat 
packing  establishment  and  owned  hundreds  of  acres  of  land.  He  was 
very  prominent,  and  was  a  member  of  assembly  in  1818  and  a  Repub- 
lican presidential  elector  in  1840.  James  Warren  was  another  repre- 
sentative man  of  the  town,  representing  the  county  in  the  Assembly 
from  1799  to  1803.  Col.  Isaac  Gere  held  many  public  offices,  includ- 
ing member  of  assembly  and  State  senator.  Other  prominent  men 
who  resided  in  town  during  the  latter  years  of  the  eighteenth  century 
included  Othniel  Looker,  Nehemiah  Con^e,  Lewis  Rogers,  Eli  Smith, 
James  De  Golia,  Asa  Kellogg,  Edmund  Wait,  Wait  Palmer,  Josiah 
Bartlett,  Isaac  Fay,  Arnold  Lewis,  Res'tcome  Potter,  Dr.  Pixley,  one 
of  the  earliest  physicians  in  Galway;  Thomas  Disbrow,  Joseph  Wait, 
Ebenezer  Smith,  Philip  Green,  Benajah  Moon,  Wilson  Green,  Joseph 
Brewster  and  Nathaniel  Keeler. 

Before  the  close  of  the  century  the  Scotch  settlers  who  had  inhabited 
the  southern  part  of  Galway  and  the  northern  part  of  Charlton  had 
organized  what  was  then  known  as  the  ' '  Scotch  Street  church, "  which 
afterward  become  the  United  Presbyterian  church  of  West  Charlton.' 
In  1803  a  new  church  was  erected  in  the  town  of  Charlton.  A  society 
of  Friends  existed  in  the  town  many  years  ago,  but  as  there  are  extant 
no  known  records  of  that  organization,  it  is  impossible  to  state  when, 
where  or  by  whom  it  was  organized  or  how  long  it  existed. 

'  The  history  of  this  church  is  contained  in  the  pages  immediately  preceding. 


EDINBURGH,  1783-1800.  105 

Tradition  says  that  the  First  Baptist  church  of  Gal  way  was  organ- 
ized as  early  as  1778,  and  this  date  was  officially  accepted  by  the  Shafts- 
bury  association,  of  which  the  church  was  a  member;  but  the  existing 
records  go  back  no  farther  than  1785.  The  society  was  originally  com- 
posed of  twenty-seven  members,  who  came  in  a  body  from  Rhode 
Island  and  settled  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town.  Rev.  Simeon 
Smith  became  the  first  pastor  in  1785,  remaining  as  such  five  years. 
He  was  not  ordained  to  the  ministry,  however,  until  1787.  At  his 
home  the  early  meetings  were  held.  About  1786  a  log  meeting-house 
was  erected.  In  1796  this  was  abandoned  and  a  church  was  erected  on 
"  Baptist  Hill,"  a  mile  southwest  of  York's  Corners.  In  1845  this  was 
taken  down  and  rebuilt  at  York's  Corners  at  an  expense  of  $3,000. 
The  Sunday  school  was  organized  in  J  845. 

EDINBURGH. 

While  settlements  in  Edinburgh  may  have  been  made,  and  probably 
were  made,  during  the  latter  days  of  the  Revolution,  the  earliest  in- 
habitants of  whom  anything  definite  is  known  was  Abijah  Stark,  a 
nephew  of  General  John  Stark,  the  commander  of  the  patriot  forces  at 
the  battle  of  Bennington.  In  1787  he  removed  from  Coleraine,  Mass., 
and  located  on  the  east  side  of  the  Sacandaga  river,  not  far  from  the 
Providence  town  line.  His  family  at  this  time  consisted  of  his  wife, 
Elizabeth  Newell,  and  two  children.  He  at  once  cleared  land  for  a 
farm  and  soon  had  a  fine  tract  of  lowland  along  the  river  under  cultiva- 
tion. Here  his  family  increased  to  eight  sons  and  two  daughters.  Of 
these,  Squire  Stark  married  Louisa  Higley  and  resided  until  his  death 
upon  the  homestead. 

One  of  Stark's  earliest  neighbors,  who  may  have  come  about  the 
same  time,  or  possibly  earlier,  was  Jonathan  Anderson.  He  had  sev- 
eral children,  one  of  whom,  Aaron,  was  the  father  of  Dr.  John  K.  An- 
derson, for  many  years  a  practicing  physician  in  the  town  of  Edinburgh 
and  other  parts  of  New  York  State.  Among  others  who  settled  in  the 
Stark  and  Anderson  neighborhoods  were  Nathaniel  Bass,  Sylvanus 
Westcot  and  Samuel  Randall. 

In  1795  James  and  Am}"-  Partridge  came  from  Connecticut  and  estab- 
lished a  home  on  the  hill  near  Edinburgh,  or  Beecher's  Hollow.  Their 
children  were  named  Thomas,  Rebecca,  Ruanna,  Polly,  Frederick, 
August,  Roxanna,  Eunice  and  James.  The  latter,  born  in  1797,  spent 
his  entire  life  on  the  homestead,  which  is  still  in  possession  of  his 


106  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

family.  His  wife  was  a  granddaughter  of  Philip  Fraker,  a  prominent 
pioneer  of  Day.  Among  Partridge's  neighbors  were  William  Trow- 
bridge, Hezekiah  Ranney,  William  Davis,  Jordan  Sprague  and  Dr. 
Gaylor.  Isaac  Doming,  who  located  very  early  in  the  northeastern 
part  of  the  town,  built  the  first  grist  mill,  about  1793.  This  mill  was 
situated  on  the  north  bank  of  Beecher's  creek,  at  Beecher's  Hollow, 
where  for  many  years  the  brick  grist  mill  has  stood.  John  and  Mehit- 
able  Sumner  came  from  Ashford,  Conn.,  with  five  sons,  five  daughters 
and  several  grandchildren,  about  1797  or  1798,  possibly  a  little  earlier, 
and  located  on  the  west  side  of  the  Sacandaga  river,  east  of  Beecher's 
Hollow.  Their  sons  took  up  farms  in  the  same  neighborhood.  John 
Sumner,  jr.,  the  eldest  son,  built  the  first  saw  mill  in  town,  prior  to 
1800.  It  was  located  on  Batcheller  creek,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river,  on  the  site  of  the  present  village  of  Batchellerville.  Another 
son,  Robert,  was  the  first  supervisor  of  Edinburgh,  serving  four  years, 
from  1801  to  1804  inclusive.  The  head  of  the  family,  John  Sumner, 
was  a  cousin  of  the  father  of  Charles  Sumner,  the  great  statesman. 
Near  Beecher's  Hollow  Samuel  Cheadle  was  another  early  inhabitant. 
In  1797  he  was  married,  in  Edinburgh,  to  Rhoda  Sprague.  In  the 
same  locality  Samuel  Downing  lived  prior  to  1800. 

On  account  of  the  limited  population  of  Edinburgh  at  the  time,  there 
were  few  schools  in  the  town  until  the  early  part  of  the  present  century. 
The  only  teacher  of  those  days  of  whom  there  is  any  record  was  Daniel 
Abbott,  from  Connecticut,  who  taught  school  in  1794. 

The  only  religious  body  in  Edinburgh  prior  to  the  present  century 
was  a  Baptist  church  organized  in  1798  by  Rev.  Mr.  Munro,  of  Galway. 
No  house  of  worship  was  built,  however,  until  1816,  and  this  was  razed 
in  1853,  when  the  society  ceased  to  exist. 

MALTA. 

Samuel  Clark  was  among  the  most  influential  men  who  settled  in  the 
town  of  Malta  during  Revolutionary  times,  in  1776  or  1777.  He  came 
from  Newburgh,  N.  Y.  His  residence  stood  opposite  that  of  Samuel 
Smith,  whose  settlement  is  referred  to  in  a  previous  chapter.  In  it 
was  held  the  first  court  for  Saratoga  county.  Mr.  Clark  was  a  presi- 
dential elector  in  1792,  voting  for  George  Washington  at  the  second 
election  under  the  constitution.  He  was  also  the  first  supervisor  of  the 
town  of  Malta,  serving  in  1802  and  1803.  His  home  was  situated  at 
East  Line,  first  on  the  Ballston  side  of  the  line ;  but  soon  afterwards  he 


NORTHUMBERLAND,  1783-1800.  107 

built  a  house  on  the  east  side  of  the  boundary  line,  in  Malta.  He 
owned  about  six  hundred  acres  of  land.  His  sons  were  Jehial,  who  re- 
moved to  Sullivan  county ;  Samuel,  who  remained  in  Saratoga  county, 
and  James,  the  father  of  James  H.  Clark  of  East  Line.  Of  his  daugh- 
ters, Charlotte  became  Mrs,  Miller  of  Ballston ;  Elizabeth  married  Rev. 
William  Anson  and  finally  settled  on  the  old  homestead;  Lydia  became 
Mrs.  Cooper  of  Cayuga  county,  and  Patty  became  Mrs.  Valentine  and 
removed  to  Michigan. 

Among  others  who  settled  in  the  western  part  of  Malta  were  Noah 

Olmstead,  Rockwell,  Ebenezer  Millard  and  Obadiah  Tompkins. 

Other  early  settlers  in  the  town  were  Luther  Landon,  who  lived  north 
of  Malta;  Dean  Chase,  at  Malta  Ridge;  Ebenezer  Valentine,  south 
of  Malta;  Cornelius  Abeel,  east  of  Round  Lake;  Stephen  Ireland, 
near  Saratoga  lake ;  Ebenezer  Dibble  and  Reuben  Doolittle. 

Several  of  the  churches  which  existed  in  Malta  during  the  closing 
years  of  the  eighteenth  century  are  now  extinct.  The  first  church 
of  which  there  is  any  record  was  "  The  Presbyterian  Society  of  East 
Ballston,"  which  was  incorporated  March  1,  1793,  and  which  may  have 
existed  some  time  before  that  date.  Its  trustees  at  that  time  were 
Uriah  Benedict,  David  Rumsey,  Gershom  Gilbert,  William  Dunning, 
Samuel  Clark  and  Joseph  Rockwell.  The  first  meeting-house'  was 
erected  about  1800,  and  stood  on  the  East  Line  road  about  eight  hun- 
dred rods  south  of  the  residence  of  Samuel  Clark. 

NORTHUMBERLAND. 
On  account  of  the  exciting  scenes  which  occurred  in  the  town  of 

>  This  church  afterward  became  Congregational  and  the  house  of  worship  was  removed  fur- 
ther south,  to  the  corner  of  the  old  cemetery.  A  few  years  later  the  society  removed  to  Malta- 
ville,  abandoning  its  old  house  at  the  cemetery  and  erecting  a  new  one  at  Maltaville.  For  several 
years  thereafter  the  church  was  unsettled,  being  Congregational  part  of  the  time  and  Presby- 
terian the  balance  of  the  time,  but  in  1843  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Malta  was  organized  and 
the  old  church  at  Maltaville  was  abandoned.  It  is  said  that  the  first  church,  located  on  the  west 
side  of  the  East  Line  road,  in  the  town  of  Ballston,  was  Presbyterian,  Rev.  Lebbeus  Armstrong 
bought  the  building  and  moved  it  to  Benedict's  Corners,  but  no  society  was  organized.  The 
church  became  Congregational  in  1834,  but  in  1840  returned  to  Presbyterianism.  The  organization 
of  the  church  at  Malta  (Dunning  Street)  absorbed  most  of  the  Maltaville  society,  which  thereupon 
became  extinct.  For  several  years  afterward  the  old  building  was  used  by  the  Methodists  and 
for  union  meetings. 

Another  extinct  church  is  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  East  Line.  The  house  of  worship, 
now  a  school  house,  was  built  in  1809,  but  the  society  was  incorporated  March  26, 1800,  as  "the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Stillwater,"  Malta  then  being  a  part  of  Stillwater.  The  first  offi- 
cers were  Jeremiah  Hart,  Frederick  Conley,  John  Myers  and  Stephen  Hart.  Services  were  dis- 
continued in  1870,  the  relations  of  the  members  being  transferred  either  to  Ballston  Spa  or  Jones 
ville. 


108  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Northumberland  during  the  Revolution  and  the  numerous  perils  which 
confronted  the  inhabitants  of  that  town,  practically  no  settlements  were 
made  within  its  borders  between  the  time  of  the  Burgoyne  invasion 
and  the  peace  of  1783.  In  that  year — or  at  least  as  early  as  1784 — 
General  Peter  Gansevoort,  the  hero  of  Fort  Stanwix  during  the  expedi- 
tion' of  General  St.  Leger  in  1777,  purchased  the  old  Hugh  Munroe 
property  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town.  This  property  had  been 
owned  by  the  Tory  Munroe,  who  joined  Burgoyne's  expedition  and 
who  also  made  the  attack  upon  Ballston  in  1780 ;  but  the  State  confis- 
cated it  and  sold  it  to  General  Gansevoort.  This  gallant  warrior  re- 
sided in  Albany,  but  spent  his  summers  upon  his  newly-acquired  estate, 
a  fine  one,  in  that  portion  of  Northumberland  which  ever  since  has 
borne  his  name.  He  was  not  a  permanent  resident,  but  his  interests 
at  Gansevoort  were  so  numerous  and  he  spent  so  much  of  his  time  there 
that  he  certainly  deserves  the  place  accorded  him  in  the  history  of  the 
town.  General  Herman  Gansevoort,  his  son,  built  the  famous  Ganse- 
voort mansion.  The  family  made  frequent  purchases  of  real  estate 
until  they  finally  owned  a  large  tract  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the 
town. 

General  Gansevoort  made  great  improvements  to  the  old  Munroe 
property.  Soon  after  his  arrival  he  found  the  irons  and  stones  of  the 
Munroe  mill  hidden  in  the  woods,  and  used  them  in  the  construction  of 
new  mills.  He  improved  his  land,  built  good  roads  and  made  the 
country  about  his  home  as  inviting  as  possible  for  newcomers. 

James  McCreedy '  and  John  Terhune  removed  from  Fishkill  in  1785 
and  located  on  land  purchased  of  Mr.  Campbell  of  Schenectady.  Mr. 
McCreedy's  farm  was  that  which,  many  years  afterward,  was  occupied 
by  Abram  Marshall.  Mr.  Terhune's  farm  adjoined  it.  Both  had  served 
in  the  American  army  during  the  Revolution,  and  they  were  related  by 
marriage.  Both  families  became  prominent  in  the  afi^airs  of  the  town. 
Nicholas  Vandenburgh  removed  into  the  town  about  1790  and  bought  a 
farm  north  of  the  1,600  acre  tract  occupied  in  1772  by  Wynant,  John 
and  Cornelius  Vandenburgh.  He  was  supposed  to  be  a  brother  of  the 
latter  three.     "Captain  "  Samuel  Lewis  ■'  bought  a  farm  just  after  the 

»  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  five  generations  of  the  McCreedy  family  served  this  country  in  the 
various  wars  in  which  it  has  been  engaged.  James  McCreedy,  his  father,  and  his  grandfather  all 
fought  with  the  American  army  in  the  Revolution.  William  McCreedy,  his  son,  who  lived  for 
many  years  in  Schuylerville,  served  in  the  war  of  1818,  as  did  his  three  brothers,  Jeremiah,  Gama- 
liel and  Charles.    William  McCreedy's  sons'  served  in  the  Union  army  in  the  Civil  war. 

=>  Samuel  Lewis  had  been  a  lieutenant  in  the  force  under  General  Gansevoort  at  Fort  Stanwix. 
He  left  three  sons,  Prof.  Taylor  Lewis,  a  professor  in  Union  College,  Schenectady;  General  Samuel 
Lewis,  of  Gansevoort;  and  Morgan  Lewis,  of  Gansevoort.    All  are  deceased. 


CORINTH,  1783-1800.  109 

war  of  a  Mr.  Graham.  Ebenezer  Bacon  came  from  Connecticut  in  1794 
and  settled  at  what  has  since  been  known  as  "  Bacon  Hill."  He  built 
a  large  tavern  at  that  place  and  also  ran  a  store  for  many  years.  This 
hamlet  was  quite  an  important  place  until  after  the  opening  of  the 
Champlain  canal,  when  most  of  the  trade  was  diverted  to  Northumber- 
land and  Schuylerville.  As  far  as  can  be  learned  Bacon's  store  was  the 
first  in  town.  Evert  Walker  and  Reed  Lewis  were  other  early  inhab- 
itants at  Bacon  Hill,  before  1800.  The  latter  married  a  daughter  of 
Mr.  Bacon.  He  did  an  extensive  business  as  harnessmaker  and  saddler. 
He  had  two  sons  and  a  daughter. 

A  short  distance  east  of  Gansevoort  a  number  of  families  from  New 
Jersey  settled  before  1800.  Among  them  were  Colonel  Sidney  Berry 
and  the  Craig  and  Nevins  families.  The  former  became  a  very  prom- 
inent citizen,  serving  frequently  in  official  positions.  He  was  the  first 
supervisor  of  the  town,  serving  in  1798  and  1799.  His  daughter  Betsey 
married  James  Rogers,  son  of  General  Thomas  Rogers.  He  died  in 
1810,  and  she  subsequently  married  Esek  Cowen,'  who  afterward  be- 
came one  of  the  most  eminent  lawyers  in  the  United  States.  John 
Hammond  located  about  1790  on  a  farm  between  Bacon  Hill  and  North- 
umberland. Thomas  Hartwell  was  the  first  settler  in  the  vicinity  of 
Brownsville.  William  Copeland  was  another  early  inhabitant.  His 
wife  was  a  daughter  of  Captain  Palmer.  Others  who  located  in  town 
during  this  period  included  John  De  Monts,  above  Fort  Miller,  who 
maintained  a  ferry  at  that  point  for  several  years ;  James  Gamble,  James 

Cramer,  Jared  Palmer  and Buel.     Charles  Carpenter  had  the  first 

store  at  Northumberland,  about  1800.  Among  the  early  physicians  in 
town  were  Dr.  Jesse  Billings,  grandfather  of  Jesse  Billings,  a  wealthy 
boat  builder  and  capitalist  of  the  town  at  present;  Dr.  Collins  and  Dr. 
Reynolds. 

Little  is  known  of  the  early  schools  of  Northumberland.  Mr.  Fra- 
zier  was  one  of  the  first  teachers,  but  where  his  school  stood  is  not 
shown  by  the  records.  Isaac  B.  Payne,  John  Metcalf  and  Robert  Mc- 
Gregor were  among  the  early  school  commissioners.  There  is  also  no 
existing  record  of  any  church  in  the  town  before  the  present  century. 

CORINTH. 
One  of  the  first  to  come  to  what  is  now  the  town  of  Corinth  during 

1  A  sketch  of  Judge, Cowen  will  be  found  in  the  chapter  on  the  Bench  and  Bar  of  Saratoga 
county. 


no  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  Revolution  was  Benjamin  Ida,  formerly  of  Jonesville,  in  Clifton 
Park,  who  located  in  the  Clothier  neighborhood  in  1777.  He  had  a 
family  of  six  children;  Thomas,  Benjamin  J.,  Timothy,  Ebenezer,  Pa- 
tience and  Hannah.  A  large  number  of  his  descendants  reside  in  the 
town.  William  Grippen  (or  Grippin)  came  the  following  year.  Among 
his  neighbors  were  Hathaway  Randall  and  Lawrence  Barber.  Jona- 
than Hodges,  who  had  served  in  the  American  army  in  the  Revolution, 
removed  from  Rhode  Island  to  Greenfield  in  1783,  and  soon  afterward 
settled  in  Corinth.  The  late  Claudius  Hodges  of  Corinth  was  a  son. 
Daniel  Boardman  came  to  Jessup's  Landing  soon  after  the  war,  where, 
in  1792  or  1793,  he  built  a  grist  mill  and  store.  He  became  prominent 
and  very  wealthy,  and  used  much  of  his  money  for  the  advancement 
of  religion,  education  and  public  enterprises  generally.  His  sister, 
Rosanna  Boardman,  the  wife  of  Benjamin  Cowles,  and  her  husband 
came  to  Jessup's  Landing  at  the  same  time,  probably  about  1789  or 
1790.  Their  children  were  Nathaniel,  Zina  H.,  Chauncey,  Orlando, 
B.  Sedgwick,  Henry  E.,  Daniel  H.,  Hannah  and  Rosetta.  Mr.  Cowles 
became  a  man  of  great  prominence,  and  held  various  public  offices. 
He  was  elected  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Hadley  (of  which  Corinth 
then  formed  a  part)  in  1801  and  held  that  office  until  the  organiza- 
tion of  Corinth  in  1818 ;  then  was  the  first  supervisor  of  the  new  town, 
serving  two  years.  Again  he  served  in  the  same  capacity  in  1826, 
1833,  1834:  and  1842.  In  1812  he  was  made  associate  judge  of  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas,  and  in  1815  he  was  made  master  in  chancery 
and  also  elected  to  the  Assembly.  For  many  years  he  served  as 
justice  of  the  peace.  Stephen  Ashley  was  another  early  settler  at 
Jessup's  Landing,  where,  in  1800,  he  open  the  first  tavern. 

South  Corinth,  which  is  located  south  of  the  center  of  the  town,  was 
first  settled  about  1790,  though  there  were  a  few  inhabitants  near  by  a 
few  years  earlier.     Among  these  were  Adam  Comstock,'  who  came 

'  Adam  Comstock  was  born  in  Warwick,  R.  I.,  in  1740;  in  1763  he  married  Margaret  McGregor, 
and  they  had  a  family  of  seventeen  children.  At  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution  he  entered  the 
army  and  soon  became  a  colonel,  and  served  under  Washington,  being  one  of  the  soldiers  who 
endured  the  hardships  at  Valley  Forge.  He  served  with  distinctidn.  After  the  war  he  was 
elected  to  the  Rhode  Island  Legislature.  In  1785  he  removed  to  Schenectady  and  the  following 
year  came  to  Corinth.  Two  years  later  he  ejected  the  iirst  frame  building  in  town,  but  soon  re- 
moved to  Ballston,  then  successively  to  Milton,  Greenfield,  Hadley,  then  back  to  Corinth.  In 
1792,  while  residing  in  Milton,  he  was  elected  to  the  Assembly,  and  was  successively  re-elected 
for  twelve  years.  In  1793  he  was  appointed  associate  judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas;  in 
1794  was  appointed  one  of  the  first  justices  of  the  peace  of  Greenfield;  from  1805  to  1808  was  a 
member  of  the  State  Senate,  holding  a  seat  in  the  Council  of  Appointment  during  that  period  ; 
and  in  1804  was  a  presidential  elector,  voting  for  Thomas  Jefferson.  He  died  in  Corinth  April  10, 
1829,  and  was  buried  in  the  family  burial  ground  on  his  farm.    Adam  Comstock's  son,  Oliver  Q, 


MOREAU,  1783-1800.  Ill 

from  Schenectady  in  1786  and  bought  a  good-sized  farm  on  the  south- 
ern boundary  of  the  town.  He  became  one  of  the  most  prominent 
men,  not  only  in  the  town  but  in  the  county.  In  1796  Nathaniel  Ed- 
wards '  located  about  a  mile  south  of  the  village  of  South  Corinth.  He 
and  his  family  were  prominently  identified  with  the  welfare  and  pros- 
perity of  their  adopted  town.  Frederick  Parkman,  who  came  to  town 
in  1796,  had  the  first  tavern;  and  the  grist  mill  which  he  built  on  Kay- 
aderosseras  creek  was  the  first  between  Ballston  and  Jessup's  Landing, 
He  was  a  grandfather  of  Frederick  Parkman  of  Jessup's  Landing. 
Jeremiah  Eddy  had  a  blacksmith  shop  near  by  in  1796  or  1797.  John 
Purqua'  settled  about  a  mile  north  of  South  Corinth  two  or  three  years 
earlier  than  this.  Among  other  early  inhabitants  of  the  town  were 
Silas  Nims,  Jonathan- Deuel,  who  had,  at  South  Corinth,  the  first  lumber 
mills  in  town,  in  1800;  Zebedee  Mosher,  Jephtha  Clark,  Timothy 
Brown,  Washington  Chapman,  James  Cooper,  Elias  Lindsey,  Stephen 
Bray  ton  and  William  Bray  ton. 

As  far  as  can  be  learned  no  school  existed  in  Corinth  until  1800,  when 
one  was  built  at  South  Corinth  and  another  at  Jessup's  Landing.  There 
also  is  no  record  of  the  establishment  of  any  church  within  the  limits 
of  the  present  town  during  the  eighteenth  century. 

MOREAU. 

Probably  the  most  prominent  man  to  settle  in  the  town  of  Moreau 
after  the  close  of  the  Revolution  was  General  Thomas  Rogers,  who  had 
been  a  colonel  in  the  American  army.  He  settled  in  1783  upon  the 
farm  formerly  owned  by  David  Jones,  the  young  Tory  who  was  the 
betrothed  husband  of  Jeanie  McCrea,  who  was  killed  by  the  Indians 
while  they  were  carrying  her  to  the  British  camp  in  1777,  as  described 
in  a  preceding  chapter.  The  Jones  estate  was  confiscated  by  the 
State  and  sold  to  General  Rogers,'  who  is  said  to  have  bargained  for  it 

Comstock,  was  a  member  of  assembly  from  Seneca  county  in  1810  and  1812,  and  a  member  of 
Congress  for  three  terms,  beginning  in  1813.  The  latter's  son,  Oliver  C.  Comstock,  jr.,  served 
several  years  as  a  member  of  the  Michigan  State  Legislature;  and  Noah  D.  Comstock,  a  great- 
grandson  of  Adam  Comstock,  served  several  years  in  the  Wisconsin  State  Legislature. 

1  Nathaniel  Edwards  served  with  the  English  army  in  the  French  and  Indian  war,  and  during 
the  Revolution  was  a  captain  in  the  patriot  army,  enlisting  from  Connecticut.  His  son,  Isaac, 
enlisted  at  the  age  of  sixteen  and  served  the  entire  eight  years.  The  latter  had  six  sons  and  one 
daughter.  Of  these  Hon.  Edward  Edwards  of  South  Corinth  was  a  member  of  assembly  in  1848, 
1864  and  1865.    He  became  a  large  landowner  and  prominent  merchant. 

2  Mr.  Purqua  had  served,  against  his  wishes,  in  a  Hessian  regiment  engaged  by  Great  Brit- 
ain to  help  her  put  down  the  American  Revolution.  Three  years  after  coming  to  America  he 
deserted  and  entered  the  American  army,  serving  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

'  General  Thomas  Rogers  is  said  to  have  been  a  lineal  descendant  of  John  Rogers,  who  was 


112  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

with  Jones  before  the  war.  The  population  of  the  town  was  consider- 
ably increased  in  1790  by  the  immigration  thereto  of  a  large  number  of 
settlers,  some  of  whom  came  from  Connecticut  and  some  from  other 

parts  of  Saratoga  county.     Paulinus  Potter,  Daniel  Hamlin  and 

Churchill  came  that  year  from  Connecticut.  All  were  related  by 
marriage.  Mr.  Hamlin's  home  was  what  was  afterwards  known  as  the 
Tearse  farm.  He  had  three  sons — Daniel,  Lent  and  Truman.  Several 
descendants  still  live  in  the  town,  where  they  are  prominent  citizens. 
Moses  Lewis  came  from  Connecticut  in  the  same  year.  Dr.  Billy  J. 
Clark,'  who  became  one  of  the  most  influential  and  generally  beloved 
citizens  of  the  town,  located  in  1799  at  Clark's  Corners.  He  and  Dr. 
Littlefield  were  the  earliest  physicians  in  town.  Dexter  Whipple  and 
Elisha  Danford  located  east  of  South  Glens  Falls  about  1800.  They 
were  brothers-in-law  and  came  from  Connecticut.     Oliver  Hubbard, 

Ichabod  Hawley, Andrews  and  Henry  Martin  were  also  early 

settlers  in  that  vicinity.  John  Albrow  located  near  Fortsville,  and 
Ezra  Hooper  and  Irenaeus  Hulbert  at  Clark's  Corners.  Lewis  Brown 
was  another  early  inhabitant. 

Among  the  early  teachers  were  Dr.  Gillett,  Asahel  Potter  and 
Messrs.  Sherman,  Minor  aud  Beebe. 

The  only  religious  organization  in  Moreau  in  the  eighteenth  century 
was  the  First  Baptist  church,  which  was  organized  in  1795.''     Two 

burned  at  the  stake  as  a  heretic  in  England,  because  he  preached  against  Romanism,  the  estab- 
lished religion  o£  England.  He  had  three  sons— Thomas,  James  and  Halsey.  He  was  the  first 
supervisor  of  Moreau,  serving  in  the  office  from  1805  to  1808  inclusive.  One  of  his  sons  married  a 
daughter  of  Colonel  Sidney  Berry  of  Northumberland  and  who  afterward  became  the  wife  of 
Hon.  Esek  Cowen.  The  Rogers  family  were  all  infiuential  and  prominently  identified  with  the 
early  development  of  Moreau. 

*  From  existing  records,  enhanced  by  tradition,  it  would  appear  that  Dr.  Clark  was  a  man  of 
almost  unbounded  influence.  He  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Wicker  of  Easton,  located  across 
the  river  in  Washington  county.  Dr.  Wicker  had  an  exclusive  practice  in  Moreau  and  North- 
umberland, and  it  was  upon  his  advice  that  young  Dr.  Clark  located  permanently  in  Moreau. 
He  at  once  became  identified  with  the  best  interests  of  the  town,  and  was  honored  by  being 
chosen  supervisor  in  1809,  to  succeed  Thomas  Rogers,  and  again  in  1831.  In  the  latter  year  he  be- 
gan his  term  of  service  as  one  of  the  school  commissioners,  and  assisted  in  the  work  of  dividing 
the  town  into  six  school  districts.  He  was  also  the  organizer,  in  1808,  of  the  Moreau  and  North- 
umberland Temperance  Society.  The  first  meeting  of  this  society  was  held  April  13,  1808,  at 
Clark's  Corners,  and  upon  the  organization  of  the  society  Dr.  Clark  was  chosen  secretary.  The 
society  existed  many  years  and  was  a  great  power  for  good  in  the  community,  and  even  to  this 
day  Dr.  Billy  J.  Clark's  name  is  frequently  heard  mentioned  as  the  pioneer  temperance  reformer 
in  Saratoga  county. 

»  Little  is  known  of  the  early  history  of  this  church.  It  was  served  by  these  pastors  in  early 
times:  Calvin  Hulbert,  Joseph  H.  EUice,  James  Rogers,  Elisha  Blakeman  Charles  Williams,  John 
C.  Holt,  Harvey  Slade,  J.  H.  Dwyer,  Joseph  W.  Sawyer,  R.  O.  Dwyer,  Ebenezer  Hall,  L.  L.  Still, 
Amos  R.  Wells  and  George  Fisher. 


WILTON,  1783-1800.  113 

years  later  it  was  admitted  into  the  Shaftsbury  association.     In  1805  it 
joined  the  Saratoga  association. 

WILTON. 

James  and  William  McGregor,  who  came  to  Wilton  in  1787,  became 
the  most  influential  inhabitants  of  that  town  in  their  day.  James  Mc- 
Gregor located  a  short  distance  north  of  Wilton,  where  he  built  a  story 
and  a  half  frame  house  His  sons  were  John,  James,  William,  Alexan- 
der, Peter,  Duncan  and  Gregor.  He  had  three  daughters.  Elizabeth 
became  the  wife  of  Horatio  Buell;  Margaret  married  Lewis  Thompson 
and  Mary  Ann  married  Nicholas  Vanderwerker.  Duncan  McGregor 
located  in  Glens  Falls,  and  was  the  chief  mover  in  maldng  Mount 
McGregor,  north  of  Wilton,  a  popular  summer  resort.  William  Mc- 
Gregor, brother  of  the  first  James,  settled  east  of  Wilton,  his  home 
being  about  a  mile  from  that  of  his  brother.  His  sons  were  John, 
William,  James  and  Alexander.  Of  his  three  daughters — Ann,  Char- 
lotte and  Elizabeth — the  first  named  became  Mrs.  Emerson,  and  the 
last  named  Mrs.  Peter  Mclntyre. 

The  town  had  a  number  of  inhabitants,  however,  when  the  Mc- 
Gregors located  there.  During  the  early  years  of  the  Revolution — 
certainly  as  early  as  1775 — Reuben  Stiles,  who  came  from  Rhode 
Island,  removed  with  his  family  to  Wilton,  then  known  as  Palmer 
Town,  and  built  a  home  at  what  was  afterwards  known  as  Stiles's  Cor- 
ners. He  had  a  family  of  eight  sons  and  one  daughter — John,  David, 
Reuben,  Eli,  Peter,  Isaac,  Johnson,  Henry  and  Angeline,  who  married 
James  D.  King.  Eli,  Isaac  and  Peter  settled  in  Wilton  and  became 
men  of  prominence.  Near  Mr.  Stiles  lived  Benjamin  Phillips,  a  hardy 
Vermont  Yankee,  who  later  opened  a  tavern.  The  children  of  the  two 
families  intermarried,  and  their  descendants  are  numerous.  Stephen 
and  Ebenezer  King,  brothers,  came  from  Dutchess  county  in  1775. 
The  former  opened  a  tavern  after  the  war,  which  is  said  to  have  been 
the  first  in  the  town.  The  latter  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first  set- 
tler at  Wiltonville.  William  King  was  another  early  inhabitant  and 
tavern-keeper,  but  probably  was  a  representative  of  another  family. 
John  Laing,  a  hardy  Scotchman,  located  near  Emerson's  Corners  about 
1775,  where  he  erected  a  saw  mill  and  opened  a  store.  He  conducted 
both  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  the  spring  of  1793. 
Peter  Johnston,  also  a  Scotchman  and  a  brother-in-law  of  Laing, 
came  to  town  about  the  same  time  and  located  in  the  same  neighbor- 

8 


114  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

hood.  Stafford  Carr  came  from  Rhode  Island  about  1794.  John  Boyce 
came  soon  after  the  close  of  the  Revolution  and  settled  in  the  south- 
eastern part  of  the  town.  Robert  Milligan,  James  Milligan,  Enoch 
Place  and  John  Kendrick  lived  in  the  same  neighborhood.  In  1790 
Broadstreet  Emerson  built  a  home  a  short  distance  north  of  what  after- 
ward became  known  as  Emerson's  Corners;  and  Dudley  and  Joseph 
Emerson,  his  brothers,  soon  afterward  located  in  the  same  neighbor- 
hood. All  the  Emersons  came  from  Lyme,  Conn.  They  became 
wealthy  and  prominent  men,  having  a  great  influence  in  the  manage- 
ment of  public  affairs.  Broadstreet  Emerson  was  an  early  magistrate, 
serving  for  many  years.  Edward  Bevins  was  an  early  settler,  about 
1780,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  old  Loudon  church.  He  served  as  a  private 
and  later  as  a  drum  major  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  participated 
in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  David  Adams  came  from  Connecticut 
about  the  same  time  and  settled  near  him.  A  man  named  Slate  settled 
about  1794  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  town,  where  he  built  a  mill 
on  Loughberry  lake. 

Isaac  Ostrom  is  believed  to  have  been  the  second  storekeeper  in  town. 
He  began  business  in  1795,  some  time  after  John  Laing.  Another 
early  store  was  kept  at  Emerson's  Corners  by  Walter  Doe.  Nathan 
Hinckley  had  the  first  inn  there.  Another,  near  by,  was  run  by  Dud- 
ley Emerson. 

CLIFTON  PARK. 

The  territory  embraced  within  the  limits  of  the  town  of  Clifton  Park, 
lying  adjacent  to  Half  Moon  and  near  Schenectady,  was  populated 
early  in  the  eighteenth  century,  but  settlements  were  almost  suspended 
during  the  Revolutionary  period  on  account  of  the  repeated  depreda- 
tions of  the  Indians  in  that  locality. 

Edward  Rexford  and  his  family  came  to  Clifton  Park  from  Eng- 
land and  located  near  what  is  now  Rexford's  Flats  a  year  or  two 
before  the  Revolution.  They  remained  there  during  that  conflict, 
the  head  of  the  family  being  away  from  home  much  of  the  time  in 
the  service  of  the  American  government  as  a  patriot  soldier  They 
first  built, a  log  house  on  the  lowland;  but  soon  after  they  erected 
a  substantial  frame  house  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  residence 
of  James  B.  McKain.  Mr.  Rexford's  three  sons — Elisha.  Edward  and 
Eleazer — all  settled  in  town.  His  daughter,  Luzina,  married  Ephraim 
Knowlton  and  continued  to  reside  in  town. 


CLIFTON  PARK,  1783-1800.  115 

Among  others  who  settled  in  town,  a  few  years  later  than  did  Mr. 
Rexford,  probably  about  1776  or  1777,  was  Nathan  Garnsey,  whose  de- 
scendants became  numerous  and  influential.  His  brother  had  preceded 
him ;  but  being  a  Tory  felt  constrained  to  remove  to  a  more  congenial 
location,  after  having  transferred  his  property  to  Nathan  Garnsey,  who 
was  a  patriot.  One  of  his  daughters  married  a  young  man  named 
Kennedy,  who  became  the  father  of  Garnsey  and  Roscius  R.  Kennedy 
of  Jonesville.  Others  who  lived  in  town  as  early  as  1790,  and  perhaps 
several  years  before  that  date,  included  the  following: 

James  Jones,  who  kept  an  inn  near  Jonesville,  which  place  was  named 
in  his  honor;  Simeon  Van  Camp,  who  had  a  tavern  on  the  site  of  Clif- 
ton Park  village ;  Hicks,  who  also  had  a  tavern  about  a  mile  from 

that  of  Van  Camp;  Adrian  Hegeman,  whose  home  was  on  "Sugar 
Hill ;  "  Samuel  Sweatland,  Israel  Brooks,  Robert  Eldridge  and  Solo- 
mon Waite,  who  lived  near  Jonesville;  Richard  Peters,  north  of  Visch- 
er's  Ferry;  James  Groom,  who  lived  near  the  corners  which  still  bear 
his  name ;  John  Terpenny,  who  lived  in  the  Groom  neighborhood ;  John 
Knowlton,  Jeremiah  Cramer,  Jacob  Fort  and  Abraham  Moe,  who  lived 
at  Moe's  Corners.  The  latter  was  a  man  of  wide  influence,  and  served 
as  town  clerk  from  1791  to  1828.  Thomas  Young,  father  of  Hon.  Sam- 
uel Young,  settled  between  Burnt  Hills  and  Groom's  Corners  in  1785. 
He  came  from  Berkshire,  Mass.  His  son  Samuel'  became  a  man  of 
great  prominence.  Isaac  Southard  located  in  town  in  1800.  Two  of 
his  sons,  John  and  Jonas,  remained  in  Clifton  Park,  and  another  son, 
Samuel  L. ,  settled  in  Ballston. 

There  is  in  existence  no  record  of  any  schools  in  this  town  prior  to 
1800,  though  schools  undoubtedly  were  maintained,  owing  to  the  large 
population. 

The  only  church  which  was  established  in  Clifton  Park  during  the 
century  of  which  we  are  writing  was  the  Baptist  church,  which  was 
constituted  February  12,  1795,  by  Mathew  Palmer,  Philip  King,  James 
Groom,  John  Warren,  Rufus  Morse,  Rebecca  Palmer  and  Eunice  Cross- 
man.  Rev.  Abijah  Peck,  the  first  pastor,  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. In  1784  he  settled  in  Galway,  became  actively  interested  in 
church  work  and  February  9,  1793,  was  licensed  to  preach.  He  was 
the  founder  of  the  Baptist  church  of  Clifton  Park." 

^  See  chapter  on  the  Bench  and  Bar. 
3  This  church  had  a  membership  of  thirty-six  in  1800.    Rev.  Abijah  Peck,  the  first  preacher, 
was  not  regularly  ordained  until  March  12,  1801.    The  church  had  (in  1796)  joined  the  old  Shafts- 
bury  association,  not  joining  the  Saratoga  association  until  1834. 


116  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

HADLEY. 

There  were  no  permanent  settlements  in  Hadley,  as  far  as  can  be 
learned,  before  the  Revolution,  and  very  few  prior  to  the  nineteenth 
century.  Practically  nothing  is  known  of  Richard  Hilton,  who  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  the  first  inhabitant.  The  first  pioneer  of  whom 
anything  definite  can  be  learned  was  Alexander  Stewart,  who  settled 
in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  town,  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson 
river,  in  the  spring  of  1790.  He  had  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  of  rich  flatlands,  which  he  cleared  and  cultivated.  He  and  his 
wife,  Elizabeth,  were  the  parents  of  nine  children — Nancy,  John,  Neal, 
David,  Charles,  Daniel,  Betsey,  James  and  William.  Henry  Walker 
came  about  the  same  time  and  settled  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Sacan- 
daga  river,  at  its  junction  with  the  Hudson.  He  was  the  first  to  locate 
on  the  site  of  the  village  of  Hadley.  As  early  as  1791  a  saw  mill  was 
erected  in  the  same  neighborhood  by  Delane  &  Hazzard. 

Six  years  after  the  settlement  of  Alexander  Stewart  and  Henry 
Walker,  David  Dayton  bought  the  adjoining  farm  and  founded  a  home. 
His  family  consisted  of  five  sons — Joel,  Henry,  Telam,  Orange  and 
Erastus.  Elijah  Ellis  came  from  Shaftsbury,  Vt.,  in  1800  south  of  the 
Sacandaga,  at  its  junction  with  the  Hudson.  A  short  distance  up  the 
former  river  he  built  a  saw  mill,  and  finally  removed  about  two  miles 
to  the  southwest  of  his  first  home.  He  had  a  family  of  eleven  children, 
Joseph  Gilbert,  who  had  fought  with  the  American  army  in  the  Rev- 
olution, was  an  early  settler  at  Hadley  Hill,  but  may  not  have  come 
until  1801  or  1802. 

As  early  as  1791  a  school  was  taught  in  the  Stewart  neighborhood  by 
a  man  named  Wilson.  Another  was  started  soon  afterward  by  a  man 
named  Pitcher.  Both  school  houses  were  built  of  logs,  with  slabs  for 
seats.  There  were  no  desks.  No  churches  were  established  in  town 
until  well  along  in  the  present  Century. 

GREENFIELD. 

There  is  no  knowledge  of  any  settlements  in  Greenfield  prior  to  the 
Revolutionary  period.  Tradition  says  that  Thomas  Root  and  Anthony 
Haggerty  were  located  in  town  in  1778,  but  nothing  about  their  lives 
or  place  of  residence  is  known.  The  first  permanent  settlements 
probably  were  made  in  the  spring  of  1786  by  William,  John,  Benjamin 
and  Charles  Deake,  the  latter's  son,  Charles  Deake,  jr.,  and  Gershom 


GREENFIELD.  1783-1800.  117 

Morehouse,  who  located  near  Middle  Grove.  About  the  same  time 
William  Scott  located  at  North  Greenfield,  originally  known  as  Scott's 
Corners ;  Isaac  Reynolds,  near  Greenfield  Centre,  and  the  Fitch  family 
at  St.  John's  Corners.  The  St.  John  family  were  pioneers,  but  very 
little  is  known  of  them.  St.  John's  Corners  was  named  after  this 
family.  In  the  same  year  Isaac  Reynolds  bought  a  farm  north  of 
Greenfield  Centre.  He  had  five  sons — Isaac,  Darius,  Stephen,  Jere- 
miah and  David.  Isaac,  Stephen  and  Jeremiah  remained  in  town. 
Gershom  Morehouse,  mentioned  above,  who  came  from  Greenfield, 
Conn.,  built  the  first  saw  mill  in  town,  at  Middle  Grove.  In  1788  he 
returned  to  his  native  home,  married  Hannah  Smith ;  brought  his  bride 
to  his  new  home  and  continued  to  operate  his  farm  and  mill.  In  1792 
he  built  the  first  grist  mill  in  town,  on  the  banks  of  the  Kayaderosseras 
creek.  The  same  year  he  sold  both  his  mills  to  Dr.  Isaac  Voungs  and 
removed  to  a  farm  a  short  distance  away.  He  built,  for  various  per- 
sons, nearly  all  the  early  mills  in  Greenfield,  and  amassed  quite  a  for- 
tune for  those  days. 

The  Deake'  family,  who  came  from  Rhode  Island,  were  prominent  in 
the  affairs  of  the  town  in  the  early  days.  Their  home  was  located 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  north  of  Middle  Grove.  Charles  Deake  was 
the  head  of  the  family.  The  others  whose  names  have  been  mentioned 
were  his  sons.  Several  of  his  descendants  became  men  of  prominence. 
William  Scott,  the  pioneer  of  Scott's  Corners  (North  Greenfield),  emi- 
grated from  Ireland  a  few  years  before  the  Revolution.  He  joined  the 
American  army  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  fought  at  Bunker  Hill 
and  remained  in  the  service  until  peace  had  been  declared.  He  rose 
from  a  private  through  the  various  grades  until  he  became  a  colonel. 
He  was  the  first  supervisor  of  Greenfield,  served  many  years  as  a 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  was  a  prominent  Mason. 

The  year  1787  witnessed  many  additions  to  the  population  of  Green- 
field. In  that  year  John  Benedict  settled  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
town,  where  he  remained  for  twelve  years.  Nathaniel  Seymour,  Alex- 
ander H.  Scott  and  Benjamin  Ingham  located  near  him  about  the 
same  time.  The  latter's  son,  Rufus,  settled  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
town,  Benjamin  Clinch  started  the  first  store  in  town,  at  Porter's  Cor- 
ners, in  that  year.  James  Vail,  also  an  early  merchant  at  Porter's  Cor- 
ners, located  there  in  1787.  Isaac  Demmon  settled  at 'Locust  Grove; 
and  Caleb  Sherman  a  short  distance  north  of  Middle  Grove.     The  lat- 

1  The  name  is  now  written  Dake.    It  appears  as  Deake  in  the  early  records  of  the  town. 


118  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ter  was  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  but  had  resided  in  Washington 
county,  N.  Y.,  previous  to  his  removal  to  Greenfield. 

In  1789  Joel  Reynolds  opened  the  first  tavern  in  town,  at  the  place 
now  owned  and  occupied  by  Dr.  lanthus  G.  Johnson,  at  Greenfield 
Centre.  In  the  same  year  Rev.  EHas  Gilbert  settled  near  the  southern 
boundary  of  the  town.  At  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution  he  was 
living  at  Newport,  R.  I.  After  various  changes  of  residence  in  New 
England  he  came  to  Pittstown,  Rensselaer  county,  N.  Y.  While 
working  at  his  trade,  that  of  cabinet  making,  in  the  latter  town,  he  be- 
gan to  preach.  Soon  after  coming  to  Greenfield  he  was  chiefly  instru- 
mental in  organizing  the  Congregational  church,  of  which  he  became 
the  first  pastor.     He  died  in  1814. 

Jonathan  Hoyt  an(i  Jonathan  Wood  also  came  about  1789.  The  latter 
lived  about  a  mile  east  of  the  Congregational  church  founded  by  Rev. 
Elias  Gilbert.'  His  two  sons,  James  and  Jeremiah  Wood,  were  graduated 
from  Union  College  and  became  ministers.  Walter  Hewitt  located  in 
town  in  1790.  For  many  years  he  served  as  deacon  in  the  Congregational 
church,  and  was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  the  organization  of  the 
Greenfield  Total  Abstinence  society.  Daniel  Cronkhite,  who  came  from 
Hillsdale,  Columbia  county,  N.  Y.,  settled  in  the  town  in  1791.  John 
Pettit,  a  native  of  Berkshire  county,  Mass.,  who  had  served  in  the  patriot 
army,  purchased  a  farm  a  little  north  of  Greenfield  Centre  in  1793  and 
removed  upon  it  with  his  wife,  Mary  Barnes.  He  became  one  of  the  most 
influential  men  in  the  town.'  Peter  Robinson  came  from  Washington 
county,  N.  Y.,  about  1793  and  located  near  Greenfield  Centre.  His 
four  brothers — Peleg,  Sanford,  Giles  and  Benjamin — came  soon  after- 
ward and  settled  in  the  Haggerty  Hill  neighborhood.  Benjamin  S. 
Robinson,  a  representative  citizen  of  Greenfield,  is  a  grandson  of  Ben- 
jamin Robinson.  Esek  Tourtelot  located  about  two  miles  north  of 
Porter's  Corners  in  1795.  Nathaniel  Daniels  built  the  first  cloth-dress- 
ing and  fulling  mill  in  town  in  1794.  This  mill  stood  on  the  north  branch 
of  the  Kayaderosseras  creek,  about  two  miles  north  of  Saratoga  Springs 
village.  Dr.  Isaac  Youngs,  who,  as  described  in  the  foregoing,  bought 
the  first  mill  built  by  Gershom  Morehouse,  was  one  of  the  first — per- 

'  Upon  the  erection  of  the  town  Mr.  Pettit  was  appointed  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  served 
in  that  capacity  forty-one  consecutive  years.  He  was  supervisor  from  1818-1815  inclusive,  and 
was  a  member  of  assembly  in  1817  and  1833.  Three  of  his  sons— John,  James  and  Paris— served  in 
the  war  of  1818.  John  was  carried  to  Quebec  as  a  prisoner  and  Paris  was  killed  in  battle  at 
Sackett's  Harbor.  Another  son,  William  R.,  removed  to  Gorham,  Ontario  county,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  was  elected  to  the  Assembly  in  1858.    John  Pettit  died  January  1, 1840. 


GREENFIELD,  1783-1800.  119 

haps  the  first — physician  of  Greenfield,  but  he  practiced  very  little, 
confining  his  time  to  his  mill  property.  Elihu  Anthony,  who  located 
in  the  north  part  of  the  town  in  1792,  was  for  many  years  pastor  of  the 
Friends'  Society  in  North  Greenfield.  He  was  an  orthodox  Quaker, 
and  lived  in  Greenfield  until  his  death,  in  1863. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  men  in  Greenfield  for  many  years  was 
Asahel  Porter.'  He  first  located  at  St.  John's  Corners  about  1793, 
where  he  started  a  store  and  a  tavern.  Before  1800  he  removed  to  the 
corners  which  bore  his  name,  where  he  remained  in  the  mercantile 
business  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1821.  He  was  the  richest 
man  in  town. 

Noah  Weed  bought  three  hundred  acres  of  land  in  South  Greenfield, 
in  1793,  from  Walter  Hewitt,  James  Dunning  and  Daniel  Crawford. 
He  came  from  Cambridge,  Washington  county.  Salmon  Child,  a  na- 
tive of  Connecticut,  son  of  a  captain  in  the  American  army  in  the  Rev- 
olution and  himself  a  soldier  in  that  war,  came  to  Greenfield  with  his 
father  soon  after  the  close  of  the  war  and  settled  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  town.  He  was  a  man  of  the  highest  character,  and  held  many 
offices  of  trust  and  responsibility.'  Esek  Cowen"  was  another  distin- 
guished resident  of  Greenfield,  whither  he  came  with  his  father,  Jo- 
seph Cowen,  in  1793.  The  Fitch  family  referred  to  in  the  foregoing 
came  from  Connecticut  and  settled  at  St.  John's  Corners,  east  of  Green- 
field Centre,  in  1786.  They  comprised  Ebenezer  Fitch,  Giles  Fitch, 
Capt.  John  St.  John,  who  married  Hannah  Fitch,  and  a  relative  named 
Smith.  The  two  first  named,  brothers,  were  grandsons  of  Thomas 
Fitch,  governor  of  Connecticut.  Shortly  after  their  arrival  Maj.  Jabez 
Fitch,  another  brother,  came  from  Fairfield,  Conn.,  and  bought  five 
hundred  acres  of  land  near  Locust  Grove,  where  he  built  a  grist  mill 
and  saw  mill.  The  first  frame  dwelling  house  in  Greenfield  was  built 
by  Ebenezer  Fitch.  In  1798  the  latter  moved  to  Stafford's  Bridge,  hav- 
ing sold  his  farm  to  Ephraim  Bullock,  grandfather  of  Judge  Augustus 
^ockes.  Maj.  Jabez  Fitch,  Giles  Fitch  and  Captain  St.  John  all  served 
in  the  Revolution.  Hannah,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  Fitch,  became  the 
wife  of  Alpheus  BuUard  of  SchuylerviUe  and  the  mother  of  David  A. 

*  From  1791  to  1801  inclusive  Mr.  Porter  represented  his  town  on  the  board  of  supervisors,  and 
was  at  one  time  chairman  of  that  body.  He  served  in  the  Assembly  in  1805  and  1806,  and  was 
sheriff  two  terms,  from  1807  to  1819.  He  was  also  a  prominent  Mason,  and  when  he  died  in  April, 
1821,  prominent  men  from  many  parts  of  the  State  attended  his  funeral.  One  of  his  daughters 
became  the  wife  of  the  Hon.  William  A.  Beach,  the  eminent  jurist. 
'  See  chapter  on  the  Bench  and  Bar. 


120  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Bullard  of  Schuylerville  and  Gen.  E.  F.  Bullard  of  Saratoga  Springs. 
Howell  Gardiner,  who  located  in  the  southern  part  of  the  town  in  1799, 
on  a  farm  purchased  of  John  Benedict,  became  a  man  of  influence  in 
the  community,  and  was  frequently  called  to  public  ofHce.' 

Among  other  residents  of  Greenfield  prior  to  1800  were  Dr.  Asa  C. 
Barney,  one  of  the  first  physicians  in  the  town ;  Captain  Allen  Hale,  an 
officer  in  the  Revolution;  Nathan  Medbery,  Zenas  Winsor,  Israel  Will- 
iams, Stephen  Comstock,  John  Smith,  Elijah  Smith,  John  Weed,  Abra- 
ham Weed,  Joseph  Wood,  Daniel  Crawford,  Jeremiah  Westcott,  Prince 
Wing,  Lewis  Graves,  Ambrose  Cole,  Abner  Williams,  Paul  Anthony, 
Samuel  Bailey,  Jonathan  Deuel,  Job  Whipple,  Esek  Whipple,  Peter 
Hendricks,  Robert  Early,  John  Harris,  Benjamin  Grinnell,  Olney  La- 
tham, William  Belden,  Jared  Weed,  John  King,  Ezekiel  Harris,  Joseph 
Mitchell,  Gideon  Hoyt  and  Israel  Rose. 

The  first  school  of  which  a  record  has  been  preserved  was  opened 
about  1795  in  a  log  house  two  miles  east  of  Greenfield  Centre.  Rich- 
ard Fish  and  Slaughter  Close  were  early  teachers.  Twenty  years  after 
the  former,  in  connection  with  Jeremiah  Goodrich,  had  a  private  school 
in  that  vicinity.  It  became  very  successful  and  finally  was  removed  to 
Albany. 

The  first  church  in  town  was  the  First  Congregational  church  of 
Greenfield,  which,  as  stated  in  preceding  pages,  was  established  through 
the  efforts  of  Rev.  Elias  Gilbert.  The  organization  was  effected  in  July, 
1790.  Among  those  who  signed  the  covenant  were  Elnathan  Scofield, 
William  Belden,  Benjamin  Ingham,  Jonathan  Wood,  Joseph  Wood, 
Nathaniel  Seymour,  Isaac  Weed,  John  Benedict,  Jonathan  Hoyt,  James 
Dunning,  Stephen  Crawford,  Elisha  Scofield,  Enoch  Kellogg,  Nathan 
Fitch,  Daniel  Calkins,  David  Calkins,  Eli  Weed,  Elias  Gilbert,  Mary 
Scofield,  Priscilla  Belden,  Mary  Westcott,  Martha  Wood,  Mary  Sey- 
mour, Hannah  Weed,  Lucy  Benedict,  Elizabeth  Hoyt  and  Abigail  Hoyt. 
The  first  officers  chosen  were :  Deacons,  Elnathan  Scofield,  Benjamin 
Ingham;  clerk,  Gilbert  Weed."     The  year  following  the  First  Baptist 

'  Howell  Gardiner  was  descended  in  the  fifth  generation,  from  Lyon  Gardiner,  who  purchased 
Gardiner's  Island,  L.  I ,  from  the  Indians  in  1639.  His  father  was  Jeremiah  Gardiner  of  East- 
hampton,  L.  I.  He  was  born  January  6,  1776,  at  Easthampton,  and  died  in  Greenfield  February 
28, 1836.  He  was  a  pillar  in  the  Congregational  church  and  one  of  the  principal  organizers  of  the 
Greenfield  Total  Abstinence  society  in  1809.  For  twenty  consecutive  years  he  served  as  justice 
of  the  peace,  was  a  member  of  assembly  in  1815,  1827  and  1831,  and  o  presidential  elector  in  1820, 
voting  for  James  Monroe. 

2  In  September,  1790,  this  church  joined  the  convention  of  churches  at  Bennington,  Vt.,  but  in 
1797  it  united  with  the  Albany  presbytery.    The  first  church  was  erected  in  1793,  and  stood  in  the 


PROVIDENCE,  1783-1800.  131 

church  of  Greenfield  Centre  was  organized  by  Samuel  Bailey,  Benja- 
min Close,  Daniel  W.  Bailey,  Mrs.  Fanny  Bailey,  Daniel  Wood,  Ezra 
Weld  and  several  others.  Rev.  Joseph  Craw  was  the  first  minister. 
No  house  of  worship  was  built  until  several  years  after  the  founding  of 
the  society.'  A  society  of  Friends  was  established  in  town  prior  to 
1800.  Their  meeting  house  was  located  a  short  distance  north  of 
Scott's  Corners.  Elihu  Anthony  and  Benjamin  Angell  were  early 
preachers." 

PROVIDENCE. 

While  tradition  says  that  two  men  named  Seth  Kellogg  and  Nathan- 
iel Wells  became  the  first  settlers  of  Providence  after  the  Revolution, 
unfortunately  nothing  is  now  known  of  them.  The  first  permanent 
settler  as  nearly  as  can  be  learned,  was  Jonathan  Finch.  He  was  one 
of  the  minutemen,  residing  in  Dutchess  county  prior  to  and  during  the 
Revolution.  At  its  close,  either  in  1783  or  1784,  he  removed  to  the 
western  part  of  Providence,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  and  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  a  deeply  religious  man.  Upon  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Baptist  church  he  received  a  license  to  preach,  was 
soon  afterward  ordained  to  the  ministry,  and  for  several  years  served 
as  pastor  of  the  young  church.  In  the  war  of  I8I2  he  served  as  a  chap- 
lain. Dr.  Henry  C.  Finch  of  Broadalbin,  son  of  S.  Rogers  Finch  and 
Matilda  Shew  Finch,  is  a  great-grandson  of  Jonathan  Finch. 

southern  part  of  the  town.  In  1833  it  was  rebuilt  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road,  near  its  orig- 
inal Site.  In  1855  it  was  newly  roofed  and  painted  and  a  new  parsonage  replaced  that  built  in 
1831.    In  1860  the  church  was  repaired  and  somewhat  enlarged. 

^  The  first  church  edifice  was  erected' in  1816  and  1817.  The  society  joined  the  Shaftsbury  as- 
sociation in  1792,  and  united  with  the  Saratoga  association  in  1805.  The  pastors  have  been :  Jo- 
seph Craw,  Israel  Craw,  Isaac  Brewster,  Elisha  Blackman,  James  N.  Seaman,  Benjamin  St.  John, 
Samuel  M.  Plumb,  Timpthy  Day,  Henry  C.  Skinner,  H.  H.  Haft,  T.  T.  St.  John,  O.  H.  Capron,  R. 
Hastings,  G.  Farr,  Edwin  Westcott,  William  Bowen,  J.  L.  Barlow,  C.  C.  Hart,  F.  S.  Park,  Jacob 
Timberman,  E.  Jewett,  C.  F.  Blackman,  Levi  Wheelock  and  Rodney  D.  Andrews. 

The  Second  Baptist  church  of  Greenfield,  known  for  many  years  as  "  the  Daketown  church," 
was  constituted  in  1794.  It  was  located  about  a  mile  and  a  half  northwest  from  Middle  Grove,  in 
the  Dake  neighborhood.  Its  pastors  were  :  Abel  Brown,  John  Lewis  and  Timothy  Day.  The 
church  became  extinct  in  1832. 

The  Third  Baptist  church  of  Greenfield  was  constituted  in  1795,  became  a  member  of  the 
Shaftsbury  association  in  1796  and  of  the  Saratoga  association  in  1805.    Among  its  pastors  were 

Hadley,  Jonathan  Nichols,  Timothy  Day,  Jacob  St.  John,  T.  T.  St.  John  and  S.  Carr.    The 

church  assumed  the  title  of  the  Second  church  upon  the  dissolution  of  the  latter  in  1822,  gave  up 
its  distinct  organization  and  united  with  the  church  at  Greenfield  Centre. 

2  About  1827  there  was  a  division  among  this  society,  and  those  calling  themselves  the  Hicks- 
ites  separated  from  the  Orthodox  society  and  built  a  meeting-house  a  short  distance  east  of 
Scott's  Corners.  The  Orthodox  society  became  extinct  in  1863,  and  the  Hicksites  were  dissolved 
soon  after. 


133  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Thomas  Shankland  was  the  next  permanent  settler  of  whom  anything- 
definite  is  known.  He  located  in  1785  or  1786  at  Hagedorn's  Mills, 
where  he  built  the  first  saw  mill  in  town.  Soon  afterward  he  erected 
a  grist  mill.  He  also  kept  a  tavern,  the  first  in  Providence,  as  far  as  is 
known.  About  1792  he  sold  his  property  to  Peter  Morey,  who,  about 
1806,  sold  it  to  Jonathan  Hagedorn,  from  whom  the  place  was  named. 
Martin  Sleezer  located  west  of  the  centre  of  the  town  about  1784. 
David  Barker  and  Samuel  S.  Barker  removed  to  Providence  from  Dart- 
mouth, Mass.,  in  1796.  The  former  opened  a  tavern  near  what  has 
since  has  been  known  as  Barkerville.  He  and  his  brother,  Samuel  S., 
built  at  that  point  a  saw  mill  and  grist  mill,  then  a  tannery  and  a  shoe 
shop,  and  for  several  years  conducted  an  extensive  business.  They 
were  men  of  prominence  in  the  community,  and  left  numerous  descend- 
ants. Jonah  Rockwell,  who  settled  in  town  about  1790,  possibly  earlier, 
was  a  son  of  Stephen  Rockwell,  who  came  to  Milton  from  Dutchess 
county  in  1784.  He  married  Anna  Temple,  an'd  had  four  sons  and  two 
daughters.  Trustram  Duel  came  from  Dutchess  county  also  in  1797 
and  built  the  first  blacksmith  shop  in  town,  near  Hagedorn's  Mills.  He 
had  seven  children,  l^athaniel  Sowl,  who  for  many  years  had  followed 
the  sea  as  a  whaler,  living  at  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  came  to  Providence 
in  1787.  William  Clark,  also  from  Dutchess  county,  settled  near  An- 
tioch  Hill,  a  mile  and  a  half  north  of  York's  Corners,  in  1790.  The  late 
William  V.  Clark,  for  many  years  supervisor  of  the  town,  and  Mrs.  Martha 
A.  Fuller  of  Saratoga  Springs  were  his  grandchildren,  and  Hon.  Isaiah 
Fuller  of  Saratoga  Springs,  for  many  years  warden  of  Clinton  State 
prison  at  Dannemora,  is  a  great-grandson. 

A  grist  mill  was  built  at  Fayville,  in  the  northwestern  corner  of  the 
town,  in  1800,  by Van  Hoesen. 

The  earliest  churches  in  Providence  were  the  Baptist  church  and  the 
Society  of  Friends.  The  exact  date  of  the  organization  of  either  is  un- 
known. As  nearly  as  can  be  gleaned  from  the  records,  however,  the 
Baptist  church  was  organized  about  1790.  The  first  roll  of  members  in 
existence  was  that  made  in  1796.  Jonathan  Finch  heads  the  list  as 
elder,  and  he  served  the  society  as  its  first  pastor.'  The  Friends  built 
a  log  meeting-house  near  the  centre  of  the  town,  where  James  Havi- 
land  preached  for  many  years. 

>  The  first  house  of  worship  was  a  log  building  erected  about  1793.  It  was  rebuilt  in  1807 
Again,  in  1847,  a  new  edifice  was  erected  at  Hagedorn's  Mills. 


DAY,  1783-1800.  123 


DAY. 


It  was  not  until  the  year  1797  that  the  first  permanent  settlements 
in  the  town  of  Day  occurred.  This  doubtless  was  due  to  the  remote- 
ness of  this  locality  from  the  centre.s  of  papulation.  David  Johnson,  a 
native  of  New  Hampshire,  who  saw  seven  years'  service  in  the  Ameri- 
can army  during  the  Revolution,  was  the  first  inhabitant  of  whom  any- 
thing definite  can  be  learned.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  went  to 
Salisbury,  Vt.,  where  he  married  Mary  Joiner.  In  1797  he  started 
with  his  wife  and  seven  children,  intending  to  settle  in  the  Genesee 
valley;  but  when  he  reached  the  central  part  of  Day,  in  the  valley  of 
the  Sacandaga,  he  could  go  no  further  with  his  covered  sleigh,  by  rea- 
son of  the  rapidly  melting  snows.  Consequently  he  bought  a  farm 
there  and  remained  there  one  year.  But  his  property  was  claimed  by 
another  man,  and  as  he  could  not  establish  his  title,  he  removed  further 
east  and  bought  three  hundred  acres  just  west  of  Conklingville,  on  the 
eastern  boundary  of  the  town.  Here,  in  1798,  he  built  a  log  house,  on 
the  site  of  Kathan's  old  hotel,  and  remained  until  his  death  in  1839. 
Mr.  Johnson  had  a  family  of  two  sons  and  six  daughters.  Of  these  his 
son  J'ohn  was  the  only  one  who  remained  in  town.  He  became  the 
owner  of  the  old  homestead,  and  served  in  the  war  of  1813.  His  wife 
was  Fally,  daughter  of  David  Allen,  who  bore  him  thirteen  children. 

Coincident  with  Johnson's  settlement,  or  nearly  so,  was  that  of  Jonas 
Bond  and  Phineas  Austin,  brothers-in-law,  who  founded  homes  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river,  about  a  mile  east  of  Day  Centre.  Nicholas 
Flansburgh  came  from  Schenectady  county  in  the  spring  of  1799  and 
located  nearly  opposite  Day  Centre,  on  the  south  bank  of  the  river. 
The  Grove  family  are  also  said  to  have  settled  here  before  1800,  but 
there  is  no  knowledge  of  their  movements.  George  Bradford  came 
from  Galway,  Scotland,  in  the  spring  of  1800.  Samuel  Rogers  located 
at  Day  Centre  about  the  same  time.  One  of  his  daughters  married 
David  Hines,  a  young  man  who  had  been  captured  by  the  Indians  when 
a  boy,  and  who  adopted  their  style  of  dress  and  living.  The  latter  for 
many  years  was  quite  a  character  in  town. 

There  were  no  schools  or  churches  in  the  town  of  Day  until  several 
years  after  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century. 


124  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

The  Division  of  the  Districts  Comprised  Within  the  Limits  of  the  County  and  the 
Organization  of  the  Early  Towns— Erection  of  the  County  of  Saratoga— The  First 
Courts— First  County,  State  and  Federal  Officials— Erection  of  the  First  Court  Hobse 
—The  Northern  Canal,  Known  as  "  Schuyler's  Ditch"— The  First  Newspaper,  One 
Hundred  Years  Ago,  and  the  First  Books  Printed  in  the  County— Other  Events 
Transpiring  Prior  to  the  Year  1800. 

As  the  population  of  Saratoga  increased  after  the  declaration  /  of 
peace  in  1783,  a  number  of  territorial  changes  were  found  necessary  to 
accommodate  the  steadily  growing  community.  Already,  before  the 
Revolution,  nearly  the  entire  territory  now  embraced  within  the  limits 
of  the  county  had  been  divided  by  the  colonial  government  into  dis- 
tricts. The  first  of  these  districts  erected  were  Half  Moon  and  Saragh- 
toga.     Both  were  formed  by  the  same  law,  March  24,  1773. 

The  district  of  Half  Moon  consisted  of  the  territory  embraced  in  the 
present  towns  of  Halfmoon,  Waterford  and  Clifton  Park.  It  remained 
a  district,  with  its  boundaries  unchanged,  until  well  along  into  the 
nineteenth  century. 

The  district  of  Saraghtoga,  or,  as  it  soon  after  was  written,  Sara- 
toga, embraced  nearly  all  the  remainder  of  the  county  south  of  the 
Sacandaga  river,  and  the  town  of  Easton,  in  Washington  county.  The 
district  of  Ball's  Town  was  set  off  in  1775;  the  town  of  Easton,  Wash- 
ington county,  in  1789;  a  part  of  Greenfield  in  1793,  and  the  town  of 
Northumberland  in  1798;  but  at  the  close  of  the  century  the  town  of 
Saratoga,  which  was  erected  as  such  from  the  district  of  Saratoga 
March  7,  1788,  embraced  the  present  towns  of  Saratoga,  Malta  and 
Saratoga  Springs. 

'  The  district  of  Ball's  Town,  which  soon  afterward  was  written  Balls- 
town,  then  Ballston,  was  formed  from  Saratoga  as  a  district  April  1, 
1775,  and  was  organized  as  a  town  in  1788.  Until  1792  the  district, 
then  the  town,  embraced  the  territory  now  known  as  the  towns  of  Balls- 
ton,  Milton,  Galway  and  Charlton.  March  7,  1793,  the  towns  of  Gal- 
way  and  Milton  were  erected;  March  17,  1793,  the  town  of  Charlton 
was  formed,  and  March  13,  1793,  a  part  of  Greenfield  was  taken  off 


ERECTION  OF  THE  COUNTY.  125 

from  Milton.     The  boundaries  of  Charlton  were  altered  March  5, 1795. 

Stillwater  is  one  of  the  original  four  towns  of  the  county,  and  was. 
organized  March  7,  1788,  on  the  day  on  which  Halfmoon,  Saratoga  and 
Ballston  were  erected  as  towns. 

Greenfield  was  formed  from  the  towns  of  Saratoga  and  Milton  March 
12,  1793.  It  then  embraced  a  part  of  Hadley  south  of  the  Sacandaga 
river.  Northumberland  was  formed  from  the  town  of  Saratoga  March 
16,  1798.  It  then  embraced  a  portion  of  Hadley,  and  the  towns  of 
Moreau  and  Wilton,  retaining  this  territory  until  after  the  close  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  Galway,  erected  March  7,  1792,  originally  em- 
braced Galway,  Providence  and  Edinburgh.  Providence,  which  then 
embraced  Providence  and  Edinburgh,  was  formed  February  5,  1796, 
retaining  Edinburgh  until  1801.  The  other  towns  in  the  county  were 
not  organized  until  the  early  part  of  the  present  century,  and  the  work 
of  township  erection  was  not  completed  until  1828,  when  the  final 
organization  of  Clifton  Park,  first  known  as  Clifton,  was  effected. 

Several  of  the  towns  were  erected  before  the  county  itself  had  been 
organized.  Up  to  1791  the  territory  now  embraced  within  the  confines 
of  the  county  formed  a  part  of  Albany  county,  one  of  the  original  ten 
counties  of  the  province  of  New  York.  February  17,  1791,  the  State 
Legislature  passed  an  act  "for  apportioning  the  representation  in  the 
Legislature,  according  to  the  rules  prescribed  in  the  Constitution,  and 
for  other  purposes."  According  to  this  law,  the  towns  of  Easton  and 
Cambridge  were  annexed  to  Washington  county,  the  county  of  Rens- 
selaer was  created,  and  the  county  of  Saratoga  was  set  off.  The  law 
also  said:  ' 

That  all  that  part  of  the  county  of  Albany,  which  is  bounded  easterly  by  Hudson's 
river  and  the  counties  of  Washington  and  Rensselaer,  southerly  by  the  most  north- 
erly sprout  of  that  river  and  the  town  of  Schenectady,  westerly  by  the  county  of 
Montgomery,  and  northerly  by  the  county  of  Washington,  shall  be  an  separate  and 
distinct  county,  and  be  called  and  known  by  the  name  of  Saratoga.  And  the  bounds 
of  the  several  towns  in  the  said  respective  counties  adjacent  to  and  limited  by  the 
Hudson's  river  and  Mohawk  river,  are  hereby  extended  to  and  limited  by  the  bounds 
of  the  said  respective  counties  herein  described,  provided  nevertheless  that  the  rights 
and  privileges  heretofore  granted  to  the  corporation  of  the  city  of  Albany  by  charter 
shall  not  be  in  any  wise  affected  or  abridged.  And  the  freeholders  and  inhabitants 
of  the  said  several  counties,  shall  have  and  enjoy  within  the  same  respectively,  all 
and  every  the  same  rights,  powers  and  privileges  as  the  freeholders  and  inhabitants 
of  any  other  counties  in  this  State  and  by  law  entitled  to  have  and  enjoy. 

And  belt  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid,  That  there  shall  be  held  in 
and  for  each  of  the  said  counties  of  Rensselaer  and  Saratoga  respectively,  a  court  of 


126  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

common  pleas  and  a  court  of  general  sessions  of  the  peace,  at  such  suitable  and  con- 
venient place  within  each  -of  the  same  counties  respectively,  as  such  judges  of  the 
court  of  common  pleas  and  such  justices  of  the  peace  as  shall  be  appointed  for  each 
of  the  same  counties  respectively,  or  a  majority  of  them,  shall  respectively  appoint; 
And  that  there  shall  be  two  terms  of  the  same  courts  in  each  of  the  same  counties 
respectively  in  the  same  year.     .     .     . 

And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid,  That  it  shall  and  may  be  law- 
ful to  and  for  all  courts  and  officers  in  the  said  counties  of  Rensselaer  and  Saratoga 
respectively,  in  all  cases  civil  and  criminal,  to  confine  their  prisoners  in  the  gaol  of 
the  county  of  Albany,  until  gaols  shall  be  provided  in  the  same  counties  respect- 
ively.    .     .     . 

And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid.  That  this  State  shall  be, 
and  is  hereby  divided  into  four  great  districts.  The  southern  district  to  comprehend 
the  city  and  county  of  New  York,  and  the  counties  of  Suffolk,  Queens,  Kings,  Rich- 
mond and  Westchester ;  the  middle  district  to  comprehend  the  counties  of  Dutchess, 
Ulster  and  Orange ;  the  western  district  to  comprehend  the  city  and  county  of  Al- 
bany, and  the  counties  of  Saratoga,  Montgomery  and  Ontario ;  and  the  eastern  dis- 
trict to  comprehend  the  counties  of  Columbia,  Rensselaer,  Washington  and  Clinton. 
And  that  the  number  of  senators  to  be  chosen  in  the  said  districts  shall  be  as  fol- 
lows :  ...  in  the  western  district  five.  .  .  .  And  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer, 
Peter  Schuyler,  Volkert  P.  Douw,  Leonard  Gansevoort  and  Jellis  Fonda,  shall  be 
considered  as  senators  from  the  said  western  district,  and  as  they  respectively  go 
out  of  office,  senators  shall  be  chosen  in  the  said  western  district  in  their  places  re- 
spectively.    .     .     . 

In  pursuance  of  this  law  erecting  Saratoga  county,  Governor  Clinton 
appointed  John  Thompson  of  Stillwater  to  be  first  judge;  General 
James  Gordon  and  Beriah  Palmer  of  Ballston,  Jacobus  Van  Schoon- 
hoven  of  Halfmoon,  and  Sidney  Berry  of  Saratoga  to  be  judges;  the 
latter  also  to  be  surrogate;  Jacob  Fort,  jr.,  of  Halfmoon  to  be  sheriff, 
and  Dirck  Swart  of  Stillwater  to  be  county  clerk.  Thus  was  the  organ- 
ization of  the  county  of  Saratoga  perfected. 

May  10,  11'91,  the  first  session  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  for  the 
new  county  was  held  at  the  residence  of  Samuel  Clark  in  the  town  of 
Stillwater,  now  the  town  of  Malta.  Judge  Thompson  presided,  with 
the  four  judges  named  in  the  foregoing,  and  with  Epenetus  White,  John 
Varnam  (or  Van  Arnam)  and  Eliphalet  Kellogg  acting  as  associate 
justices  of  sessions.  At  the  same  time  and  place  the  first  Court  of 
Sessions  was  organized.  It  was  presided  over  by  Judge  James  Gordon, 
and  John  Varnam,  Epenetus  White,  Eliphalet  Kellogg,  Richard  Davis, 
jr.,  Douw  J.  Fonda,  Elias  Palmer,  Nathaniel  Douglas,  John  Ball  and 
John  Bradstreet,  justices  of  the  peace.  The  grand  jury  sworn  in  on 
that  occasion  consisted  of  Richard  Davis,  jr.,  foreman;  Joshua  Taylor 
John  Donald,  Henry  Davis,  Hezekiah  Ketchum,  Seth  C.  Baldwin,  Ezra 


FIRST  COUNTY  BUILDINGS.  127 

Hallibart,  John  Wood,  Samuel  Wood,  Edy  Baker,  Elisha  Andrews, 
Gideon  Moore,  Abraham  Livingston  and  John  Bleecker.  July  7  of  the 
same  year  the  first  Circuit  Court  and  Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer  was 
organized  at  the  house  of  Jeremiah  Rogers  in  Halfmoon,  now  Clifton 
Park.  Chief  Justice  Robert  Yates  presided.  June  4,  1792,  the  second 
■  term  was  held  in  the  church  at  Stillwater.  July  9,  1793,  the  third  term 
was  held  in  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Ballston. 

With  the  organization  of  the  courts  and  the  beginning  of  official  rec- 
ords of  Saratoga  county,  the  need  for  a  public  building  became  appar- 
ent. But  it  was  not  until  the  county  was  five  years  old  that  the  first 
county  building  was  completed.  The  first  step  taken  toward  its  erec- 
tion was  the  appointment  by  the  Legislature,  March  36,  1794,  of  John 
Bradstreet  Schuyler,  Richard  Davis,  jr.,  James  Emmott,  John  Ball 
and  John  McClelland,  as  commissioners  for  locating  the  county  seat 
and  building  the  court  house  and  jail.  The  inhabitants  of  Ballston 
Centre  and  Milton,  the  two  most  thriving  centres  of  population  in  the 
county  besides  Waterford,  set  up  rival  claims,  and  the  contest  for  desig- 
nation as  the  site  for  the  proposed  buildings  was  great.  Finally  the 
commissioners  accepted  the  offer  of  Edward  A.  Watrous  of  Ballston, 
who  proposed  to  give  the  county  a  fine  site  on  his  farm,  so  long  as  the 
same  should  contain  the  court  house  and  jail.  Ballston  was  then  de- 
clared to  be  the  county  seat,  and  the  site  of  the  new  building  became 
known  as  Court  House  Hill,  an  appellation  which  it  has  borne  to  this 
day.  The  commissioners  made  a  contract  with  Luther  Leet  for  the 
construction  of  the  building.  It  was  made  of  wood,  was  fifty  feet 
square  and  two  stories  in  height,  with  a  one-story  wing  in  the  rear,  and 
cost  $6,750.  It  was  first  used  by  the  county  in  May,  1796,  when  the 
courts  of  Common  Pleas  and  General  Sessions  met  therein.  In  1799  a 
Circuit  Court  and  Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer  was  held  there,  Judge 
John  Lansing  presiding.' 

In  the  meantime  the  first  board  of  supervisors  of  Saratoga  had  been 
organized.  This  body  met  in  Stillwater  June  2,  1791.  As  there  were 
atthat  time  but  four  towns  in  the  county,  and, each  town  was  entitled 
to  but  one  representative  in  the  county  legislature,  the  board  consisted 
of  these   supervisors:     Beriah  Palmer,  from   Ballston;  Elias  Palmer, 

1  This  building  was  destroyed  by  iire  March  25,  1816,  when  Ballston  Spa  was  selected  as  the 
site  for  the  new  county  buildings.  In  the  old  building  at  Court  House  Hill,  courts  were  held  by 
Judges  Kent,  Radoliffi,  Morgan  Lewis,  Smith  Thompson,  Ambrose  Spencer,  William  W.  Van  Ness 
and  Jonas  Piatt. 


128  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Stillwater;  John  B.    Schuyler,    Saratoga;    and   Benjamin   Rosekrans, 
Halfmoon. 

Pursuant  to  the  first  constitution,  Samuel  Clark  of  Stillwater  was 
chosen  as  the  first  presidential  elector  from  Saratoga  county,  in  1792, 
casting  his  ballot  for  George  Washington.  In  1800  Robert  Ellis  was 
chosen  and  cast  his  vote  for  Thomas  Jefferson.  The  records  do  not 
give  the  name  of  any  presidential  elector  from  this  county  in  1796.  At 
the  general  election  in  1791  General  James  Gordon  was  elected  a  repre- 
sentative in  Congress,  and  was  re-elected  in  1793,  serving  two  terms. 
John  Thompson,  of  Stillwater,  first  judge  of  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas,  was  elected  in  1799,  and  served  one  term. 

One  of  the  earliest  projected  internal  improvements  calculated  to 
enhance  the  commercial  importance  of  Saratoga  county  was  the  plan 
for  a  canal  extending  north  and  south  through  the  eastern  part  of  the 
county,  parallel  with  and  in  the  channel  of  the  Hudson  river.  For 
many  years  such  a  water  highway  had  been  under  consideration.  As 
early  as  1791  Governor  George  Clinton,  in  a  speech  before  the  State 
Legislature,  advocated  canals  extending  from  Albany  northward  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Mohawk  through  the  valley  of  that  river.  Again, 
during  the  legislative  session  of  1795,  he  recommended  the  adoption 
of  some  plan  for  inland  navigation.  Before  this,  February  7,  1792, 
General  Williams  of  Salem,  member  of  the  Legislature  from  Wash- 
ington county,  acting  doubtless  upon  the  suggestion  of  the  gover- 
nor, had  endeavored  to  secure  the  passage  of  a  bill  providing  "  for 
constructing  and  opening  a  canal  and  lock  navigation  in  northern  and 
western  parts  of  the  State,"  but  nothing  came  of  his  efforts.  But  in 
1795  two  companies  were  organized — one  for  northern  and  one  for 
western  improvement.  The  former  was  incorporated  as  "  The  North- 
ern Inland  Lock  Navigation  Company,"  whose  avowed  object  was  the 
construction  of  a  canal  with  locks  from  the  mouths  of  the  Mohawk 
northward  along  the  west  bank  of  the  Hudson  around  the  rapids  in  the 
vicinity  of  Mechanicville  and  Stillwater.  In  the  summer  of  that  year 
surveys  for  the  proposed  work  were  begun,  and  before  the  year  1800  a 
considerable  portion  of  the  actual  work  had  been  accomplished.  But 
the  enterprise  failed  because  of  lack'  of  funds,  and  the  canal  was 
abandoned.  General  Philip  Schuyler  was  at  the  head  of  this  company, 
and  the  ruins  of  the  work  were  long  known  as  "  Schuyler's  Ditch." 
One  of  the  principal  surveyors  in  the  employ  of  the  company  was  Sir 
Marc  Isambard  Brunei,  who  constructed  the  great  Thames  river  tun- 


THE  FIRST  NEWSPAPER.  129 

nel  in  London  in  1835-1843,  Though  this  enterprise  met  with  disas- 
ter and  caused  the  financial  ruin  of  several  men,  it  finally  led  to  the 
building  of  the  Erie  and  Champlain  canals,  which  have  done  so  much 
to  bring  prosperity  to  New  York  State,  and  to  Saratoga  county. 

Early  in  its  career,  the  inhabitants  of  the  county  enjoyed  the  advan- 
tages of  the  dissemination  of  news  and  the  interchange  of  ideas  of 
matters  of  import  through  the  medium  of  a  newspaper.  On  June  14, 
1798,  just  one  hundred  years  ago,  the  first  newspaper  ever  published 
in  the  county  made  its  appearance.  It  was  printed  by  Increase  and 
William  Child  at  Court  House  Hill,  in  the  town  of  Ballston,  and  was 
called  the  Saratoga  Register  or  Farmers'  Journal.  The  office  of  pub- 
lication was  "over  the  store  of  Messrs.  Robert  Leonard  &  Co.,  nearly 
opposite  the  Court  House,"  as  appears  from  the  title  page  of  the  first 
number  of  this  paper. '  The  Journal,  as  it  was  commonly  known,  sup- 
ported the  administration  of  President  John  Adams,  then  the  head  of 
the  Federal  party. 

Soon  after  the  establishment  of  this  newspaper  the  publishers  of  the 
Journal  brought  out  the  first  book  ever  printed  in  this  county.  It  bore 
this  formidable  title : 

"A  Plain  Account  of  the  Ordinance  of  Baptism;  in  which  all  the  texts  in  the  New 
Testament  relating  to  it  are  proved,  and  the  whole  Doctrine  concerning  it  drawn 
from  them  alone.  In  a  Course  of  Letters  to  the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Benjamin  Hoadley, 
late  Lord  Bishop  of  Winchester;  another  of  the  '  Plain  Account  of  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per;' ye  shall  not  add  unto  the  word  which  I  have  commanded  you,  neither  shall  you 
diminish  from  it.  First  Ballston  Edition.  London.  Printed:  Ballston.  Re- 
Printed  by  I.  &  W.  Child.  Sold  at  their  Printing  Office,  nearly  opposite  the  Court 
House.     1798." 

Two  years  later  the  firm  dissolved  and  William  Child  assumed  sole 
management  of  the  business.  In  that  year  he  printed  a  book  of  two 
hundred  and  twenty  two  pages  entitled :  "A  Plea  for  the  Non-Con- 
formists," by  Thomas  Delaune.  The  preface  was  written  by  Rev. 
EliasLee,  then  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Ballston  Spa.  The 
book  was  sold  by  subscription  before  printing,  and  at  the  end  of  the 
volume  appeared  the  names  of  the  subscribers,  over  one  thousand  in 
number. 

The  first  census  of  Saratoga  county,  which  includes  the  town  of 
Easton,  excludes  portions  of  Hadley,  Day  and  Edinburgh,  and  other- 

'  This  paper  has  undergone  many  changes,  until  it  is  now  known  as  the  Ballston  Journal, 
published  at  Ballston  Spa  by  C.  H.  Grose. 


130  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

wise  may  be  incomplete,  was  taken  in  1790,  before  the  organization  of 
the  county.  It  gives  a  total  population  of  17,077,  divided  among  the 
four  districts  as  follows:  Ballston,  7,833;  Half  moon,  3,602;  Saratoga, 
3,071;  Stillwater,  3,071.  The  census  of  1800  shows  a  total  population 
of  24,483,  divided  among  the  various  towns  as  then  established  as 
follows:  Ballston,  2,099;  Charlton,  1,746;  Galway,  2,310;  Greenfield, 
3,073;  Halfmoon,  3,851;  Milton,  2,146;  Northumberland,  2,007;  Provi- 
dence, 1,888;  Saratoga,  2,491;  Stillwater,  2,872. 

Some  of  the  additional  events  of  importance  occurring  in  Saratoga 
county  during  the  eighteenth  century  may  be  briefly  summarized  as 
follows:  The  discovery  of  the  mineral  springs  of  Saratoga  county, 
which  is  described  at  length  in  another  chapter;  the  founding  of 
numerous  schools  and  religious  societies  and  the  erection  of  their 
houses  of  worship,  which  is  also  described  elsewhere  in  this  volume; 
the  development  of  the  many  fine  water  powers  in  the  county  and  the 
erection  of  scores  of  saw  mills,  grist  mills,  tanneries  and  other  indus- 
trial concerns;  the  improvement  of  highways  and  the  establishment  of 
stage  lines. 

Many  other  events  of  interest  doubtless  occurred  within  the  limits  of 
Saratoga  county  during  the  closing  years  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
but  historians  in  those  days  were  few,  and  the  gleaner  of  to-day  is  com- 
pelled to  abide  almost  entirely  by  the  existing  records,  official  and  pri- 
vate. Consequently  but  little  else  of  importance  concerning  the  pio- 
neers of  Saratoga  county,  excepting  the  finer  details  of  some  of  the 
transactions  herein  noted,  probably  will  ever  be  known. 


FROM  1800-1831.  131 


CHAPTER  IX. 

FROM  1800  to  1831. 

History  of  the  County  from  the  Beginning  of  the  Nineteenth  Century  to  the  Con- 
struction of  the  First  Steam  Railroad  within  its  Borders — Wonderful  Development 
of  Saratoga  Springs  and  Ballston  Spa — Gideon  Putnam  and  His  Beneficent  Labors 
— Early  Hotels  at  the  Springs — Some  of  the  More  Important  Manufactures — Water 
Power  of  the  Kayaderosseras — Churches  Established  in  the  County  During  this 
Period — History  of  the  Erie  and  Champlain  Canals — Semi-Centennial  Celebrations 
of  1826 — County  Medical  Society  and  County  Bible  Society — Men  who  Served  as 
OfScers  in  the  Early  Militia. 

The  history  of  Saratoga  county  during  the  period  beginning  with  the 
opening  of  the  present  century  and  ending  with  the  year  1831,  when 
the  State  Legislature  granted  a  charter  to  the  first  railroad  company 
organized  to  construct  a  steam  railroad  which  was  to  traverse  the  most 
populous  portion  of  the  county,  is  little  else  than  a  story  of  the  peace- 
ful cultivation  of  the  farming  lands,  of  the  development  of  its  numer- 
ous fine  water  powers,  of  the  establishment  at  many  points  of  man- 
ufacturing industries  which  form  such  a  potent  factor  in  the  prosperity 
of  the  county,  of  the  development  of  the  famous  mineral  springs  at 
Saratoga  Springs  and  Ballston  Spa  and  the  erection  of  commodious 
and  in  some  cases  magnificent  hotels  in  those  villages,  of  the  founding 
of  churches  and  schools,  of  the  improvement  to  the  channels  of  com- 
merce by  the  erection  of  bridges  and  the  building  of  turnpikes,  of  po- 
litical and  territorial  changes  within  the  county — but  greatest  of  all,  of 
the  building  of  the  two  great  highways  of  commerce,  the  Erie  and 
Champlain  canals. 

In  the  preceding  chapters  we  have  endeavored  to  give  an  accurate 
idea  of  the  early  settlement  of  the  county,  the  establishment  of  some 
of  the  early  industries  and  of  the  schools  and  religious  societies  which 
existed  during  the  eighteenth  century.  In  the  same  manner  we  shall 
now  endeavor  to  straighten  out  the  records  of  the  doings  of  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  county  during  the  first  third  of  the  present  century  and 
show  what  they  accomplished  along  the  various  lines  of  commerce  and 
industry,  of  educational  and  spiritual  advancement,  in  politics,  in  peace 


133  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  in  war,  until  the  arrival  of  the  time  when  the  entire  commercial 
and  industrial  system  of  the  community,  and  in  fact  the  entire  well- 
being  of  the  community,  were  revolutionized  by  the  introduction  of 
steam  power  as  a  means  of  transportation. 

Perhaps  the  most  important  commercial  and  industrial  growth  in  any 
community  in  the  county  during  the  early  years  of  the  century  occurred 
at  Ballston  Spa  and  other  points  near  by  in  the  town  of  Milton.  The 
early  development  at  this  point  was  due  to  the  splendid  water  power 
on  the  Kayaderosseras,  which  was  harnessed  by  man  several  years  be- 
fore 1800.  The  place  also  became  known  as  a  desirable  one  for  resi- 
dence, not  only  on  account  of  the  water  power  furnished  by  the  Kaya- 
derosseras, but  on  account  of  the  mineral  springs  in  the  village  and  the 
court  house,  which  was  located  at  a  convenient  distance  from  the  vil- 
lage. Several  small  mills  and  manufactories  were  located  in  and  near 
the  village  very  early  in  the  century.  The  town  of  Milton,  in  which 
the  principal  part  of  the  village  lies,  gained  its  name  from  this  fact. 
For  many  years  the  locality  about  the  Kayaderosseras  in  the  southeast- 
ern quarter  of  the  present  town  was  known  as  Mill-town,  and  thisnahie 
most  naturally  became  Milton.  It  deserved  the  name,  for  there  were 
dozens  of  mills  of  various  kinds  in  the  locality,  as  well  as  tanneries  and 
shoe  shops.  Many  of  these  were  built  during  the  preceding  century 
and  reference  has  been  made  to  them  in  another  chapter.  The  facili- 
ties of  most  of  these  mills  were  increased  from  time  to  time  and  new 
mills  were  erected  as  business  warranted. 

One  of  the  most  important  of  the  early  mills  built  on  the  banks  of 
the  Kayaderosseras  in  the  village  of  Ballston  Spa  was  a  cotton  mill 
erected  in  1812  by  Nicholas  Low,  Amos  Olcott  and  others.  But  this 
industry  was  destined  to  meet  an  untimely  end.  The  factory  was  run- 
ning with  a  full  complement  of  hands  one  day  about  a  month  after  it 
had  been  started,  when  the  great  "  walking-beam  "  of  the  old-fashioned 
engine  suddenly  broke,  almost  completely  wrecking  the  mill.  So  great 
was  the  damage  done  that  the  proprietors  decided  that  they  could  not 
reconstruct  the  plant,  and  the  concern  was  abandoned,  throwing  sev- 
eral persons  out  of  employment.  This  disaster  was  considered  quite  a 
set  back  to  Ballston  Spa,  but  the  enterprising  inhabitants  were  un- 
daunted and  in  a  short  time  had  established  other  enterprises  in  its 
place,  though  the  building  itself  remained  unoccupied  by  any  manufac- 
turing plant  for  nearly  forty  years.  Part  of  the  machinery  was  brought 
from  Europe  at  great  expense,  but  this  and  the  labor  of  months  was 
destroyed  in  one  moment. 


BALLSTON  SPA,  1800-1831.  133 

Early  in  the  century  Ballston  Spa  was  in  its  glory  as  a  summer  re- 
sort, its  mineral  springs  having  gained  a  world-wide  reputation  on 
account  of  their  wonderful  medicinal  properties.  The  Sans  Souci  hotel, 
which  stood  on  the  north  side  of  Front  street  where  the  Sans  Souci 
opera  house  block  now  stands,  was  the  most  noted  hotel  at  the  Spa.  In 
its  rear  was  the  Sans  Souci  spring.  Some  of  the  most  noted  men  of 
the  country,  as  well  as  distinguished  men  from  abroad,  were  entertained 
at  various  times  beneath  its  hospitable  roof  and  drank  of  its  health 
giving  waters.  Andrew  Berger  was  one  of  its  proprietors.  The  Sans 
Souci  was  for  many  years  open  in  the  summer  season  only.  The  Balls- 
ton  Spa  house,  which  stood  on  the  west  side  of  Milton  avenue,  at  the 
corner  of  Washington  street,  where  the  office  of  the  Ballston  Spa  Daily 
News  is  now  located,  was  a  winter  hotel.  It  was  burned  in  1893.  It 
was  run  in  connection  with  the  Sans  Souci.  The  village  was  also  well 
supplied  with  boarding  houses. 

Ballston  Spa's  first  school  was  established  aboiit  the  year  1800.  It 
was  maintained  for  several  years  in  the  building  used  by  the  First  Bap- 
tist society  as  a  meeting-house.  This  building  stood  on  Ballston  avenue, 
in  the  eastern  section  of  the  site  of  the  village  cemetery.  Early  in  the 
century — just  when  the  removal  occurred  cannot  be  learned — the  school 
house  was  abandoned  and  "the  academy,"  a  large,  two-story  structure, 
was  erected  on  what  is  now  Science  street.  This  house  probably  stood 
on  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the  railroad,  on  the  east  side  of  Science 
street.  This  school  was  not  actually  an  academy,  but  simply  a  large 
school  of  two  grades.'     There  were  also  excellent  private  schools  in  the 

'  This  building:  was  abandoned  by  the  school  about  1836,  removed  to  the  corner  of  Charlton 
street  and  Ballston  avenue,  and  used  by  the  Methodist  congregation  as  a  meeting-house.  The 
latter  finally  sold  it  to  the  Catholic  congregation.  After  the  latter  had  used  it  as  a  house  of 
vforship  for  a  few  years,  they  sold  it  to  private  parties,  who  fitted  it  up  as  a  dwelling.  Two  dis- 
trict school  houses  were  built  in  1836.  One  was  located  on  Malta  avenue,  and  the  other  on  West 
High  street,  between  Charlton  street  and  Ballston  avenue.  These  schools  were  succeeded  by 
the  Ballston  Spa  Union  school  system,  which  was  organized  April  17, 1870,  by  the  election  of  the 
following  board  of  education:  President,  Hiro  Jones;  clerk,  Neil  Gilmour;  treasurer,  John  J.  Lee; 
trustees,  E.  H.  Chapman,  Benjamin  F.  Baker,  C.  M.  McClew,  E.  Parkinson  and  J.  B.  Cheydleur. 
For  three  years  the  schools  were  maintained  in  the  old  buildings  and  elsewhere.  In  1873  and 
1874  the  brick  high  school  building  on  Bath  street  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $23,500,  and 
the  school  was  opened  therein  September  14,  1874,  by  Thomas  C.  Bunyan,  prmcipal.  It  was 
originally  arranged  in  three  grades,  but  the  growth  of  the  village  has  caused  a  great  increase 
in  the  school,  and  branches  have  been  established  several  years  in  convenient  places  in  the  vil- 
lage. Arrangements  are  now  (1898)  being  made  for  the  erection"  of  a  still  more  commodious 
building.  Thomas  C.  Bunyan  remained  in  charge  of  the  Union  Free  school  as  principal  until 
1892,  when  he  resigned  and  removed  to  Berthoud,  Col,,  and  established  the  bank  of  Berthoud. 
He  was  succeeded  as  principal  by  H.  H.  Southwick,  who  .resigned  in  1897  to  accept  a  professor- 
ship in  the  State  Normal  School  at  Plattsburgh,  N.  Y.  Leland  L.  Landers  became  principal  in 
1897,  but  resigned  in  1898,  when  A.  A.  Lavery  was  chosen  principal.    During  the  incumbency  of 


134  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

village  in  these  days.  One  of  these  was  under  the  management  of 
Rev.  Deodatus  Babcock.  From  18^2  to  1835  a  ladies'  seminary  was 
located  at  High  street.  It  subsequently  was  changed  to  a  boys'  school, 
and  shortly  afterward  was  abandoned. 

To  Gideon  Putnam  belongs  the  credit  for  starting  the  boom  which 
made  Saratoga  Springs  a  formidable  rival  of  the  famous  Ballston  Spa, 
a  movement  which  eventually  gave  to  the  former  place  the  prestige 
and  glory  which  originally  accompanied  the  name  of  the  latter.  It  was 
his  capital  which  laid  the  foundations  of  the  famed  Grand  Union  hotel, 
and  gave  that  village  a  name  which  it  has  ever  since  borne — the  prince 
of  watering  places  in  America,  and  the  peer  of  any  in  the  world. 

Gideon  Putnam  came  to  Saratoga  Springs  in  1789.  He,  was  a  man 
of  considerable  wealth  and  experience  in  the  world,  and  he  foresaw  the 
destiny  of  his  new  home,  in  part  at  least.  Mr.  Putnam  was  a  son-in- 
law  of  Benjamin  Risley,  who  came  from  Hartford,  Conn.  Mr.  Risley's 
other  son-in-law,  who  came  with  him,  was  Dr.  Clement  Blakesley.  All 
began  making  investments  in  real  estate  soon  after  coming  to  Saratoga 
Springs.  Mr.  Putnam  came  of  good  stock,  being  of  the  same  family 
as  General  Israel  Putnam  of  Revolutionary  fame.  We  have  sufficient 
evidence  of  the  energy  and  determination  which  formed  so  great  a 
part  of  his  character,  as  well  as  of  his  keen  foresight.  Though  the 
country  surrounding  Congress  Spring  was  little  better  than  a  wilder- 
ness in  1803,  he  seemed  to  have  become  imbued,  and  he  alone, 
with  the  knowledge  that  it  was  destined  to  become  in  time  a  popular 
resort.  Consequently,  in  that  year,  after  clearing  off  the  heavy  timber 
on  his  land,  he  began  the  erection  of  the  famous  Grand  Union  hotel. 
This  was  the  first  commodious  hotel  erected  at  the  Springs  for  the 
accommodation  of  visitors,  and  its  erection  marked  the  dawn  of  a  new 
era  for  that  community. 

The  building  was  of  wood,  three  stories  in  height.  On  the  day  that 
the  frame  was  raised,  people  gathered  from  the  surrounding  country 
for  miles  around  to  behold  what  was  popularly  called  "  Putnam's 
Folly."  But  they  were  doomed  to  disappointment,  for  immediately 
after  the  erection  of  this  hotel,  people  began  to  flock  to  the  springs  in 
large  numbers,  and  quickly  purchased  the  lots  which  Mr.  Putnam  had 
laid  out  along  the  broad  street  which  he    had  had  surveyed.     This 

Principal  Southwiok  the  school  was  placed  under  the  direction  of  the  Regents  of  the  University 
of  the  State  of  New  York.  The  present  members  of  the  board  of  education  are:  President,  Her- 
bert C.  Westcot;  clerk,  Joseph  Shaeffer;  trustees,  Frederick  J.  Wheeler,  David  Frisbie,  James 
W.  Verbeok,  Tracy  W.  Nichols,  Dr.  Eben  S.  Lawrence. 


SARATOGA  SPRINGS,  1800-1831.  135 

street,  then  called  Broad  street,  is  now  Broadway.  Near  it  were 
located  Congress,  Columbian  and  Hamilton  springs,  and  Mr.  Putnam 
laid  out  the  new  village  so  these  springs  would  be  in  public  highways 
branching  off  from  Broad  street,  and  thereby  remain  public  property. 
But  after  his  death  these  streets,  excepting  Broad  street,  were  narrowed 
down,  bringing  all  these  springs  within  private  property.  Thus  it  will 
be  seen  that  Gideon  Putnam,  though  not  the  pioneer,  was  in  reality 
the  founder  of  the  village  of  Saratoga  Springs." 

The  wisdom  of  Gideon  Putnam  in  erecting  the  Grand  Union  soon  be- 
came apparent.  Year  by  year  the  number  of  visitors  to  the  springs  in- 
creased, and  by  1809  so  great  was  the  demand  for  accommodations  that 
a  rival  hotel,  called  the  Columbian,  was  erected  on  the  site  now  occu- 
pied by  the  Ainsworth  block.  This  hotel,  which  for  many  years  was 
under  the  management  of  Jotham  Holmes,  was  destroyed  by  fire  many 
years  ago. 

Nine  years  after  he  had  built  the  Grand  Union,  Gideon  Putnam  be- 
gan, in  X811,  the  erection  of  another  commodious  hotel,  which  he  called 
Congress  Hall.  When  its  timbers  were  raised,  one  of  them  fell,  killing 
Barney.  Souler  and  so  injured  Mr.  Putnam  that  he  died  a  few  months 
later.  His  death  resulted,  doubtless,  in  a  considerable  change  in  the 
original  plans  for  the  operation  of  the  hotel,  for  soon  after  its  com- 
pletion it  was  used  as  a  lodging  house  in  connection  with  the  Grand 
Union,  which  stood  opposite.  In  1815  it  was  sold  to  Guert  Van  Schoon- 
hoven,  and  under  his  ownership  it  became  the  most  fashionable  resort 
at  the  springs. 

Still  .another  large  hotel  was  erected  in  1819,  by  which  time  the  vil- 
lage had  become  quite  populous.  This  was  the  Pavilion  hotel,  which 
was  built  by  Judge  Walton  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  town  hall." 
Nathan  Lewis  was  its  first  proprietor.  Succeeding  him  were  Allen 
Murphy,  John  Ford,  Asher  Smith  Taylor,  John  C.  Dillon,  John  Cross, 
and  Daniel  McLaren.  This  hotel  was  one  of  the  most  elegant  in  the 
village. 

'  Gideon  Putnam  was  born  in  Sutton,  Mass.,  in  1764,  the  son  of  Rufus  and  Mary  Putnam.  He 
married  Doanda  Risley,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Risley  of  Hartford  Conn.  Soon  after  he  re- 
moved to  Middlebury,  Vt.,  where  he  built  a  cabin  on  the  site  now  occupied  .by  the  Middlebury 
college  buildings.  Subsequently  he  removed  to  Rutland,  Vt.,  then  to  Bemus  Flats,  and  finally 
to  Saratoga  Springs.  His  first  purchase  of  land  there  was  made  in  1791,  when  he  bought  three 
hundred  acres  from  Dirck  LefiEerts.  After  building  the  Grand  Union  and  laying  out  the  village 
plots,  in  1805,  he  retubed  the  Washington,  Columbian  and  Hamilton  Springs  in  1806.  He  began 
the  erection  of  Congress  Hall  in  1811.  He  died  December  1,  1812,  aged  forty-nine  yea^^.  The 
children  of  Gideon  and  Doanda  Putnam  were  Benjamin,  Lewis,  Rockwell,  Washington,  Loren, 
Mrs.  Betsey  Taylor,  Mrs.  Aurelia  Clement,  Mrs.  Nancy  Andrews  and  Mrs.  Phila  Kellogg. 

"  This  hotel  was  burned  in  1840. 


136  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  first  United  States  hotel  was  not  erected  until  1824.  In  that 
year  Elias  Benedict,  an  uncle  of  Gen.  James  M.  Marvin  of  Saratoga 
Springs,  bought  a  tract  of  twenty-five  acres  lying  between  Franklin 
and  Washington  streets,  on  which  he  built  the  hotel  called  the  United 
States.  This  was  the  first  brick  hotel  built  at  the  springs.  It  faced 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  on  Broadway,  was  thirty  four  feet 
deep,  had  a  wing  extending  sixty  feet  on  Division  street,  and  was  four 
stories  in  height.  It  was  the  most  magnificent  hotel  of  the  day  in 
Saratoga,  and  one  of  the  most  elegant  in  the  country.'  John  Ford,  its 
first  manager,  continued  m  that  capacity  until  1830,  when  General 
James  M.  Marvin  became  proprietor.  During  his  conduct  of  the  United 
States,  it  became  one  of  the  most  celebrated  hotels  in  the  world. 

But  while  the  enterprising  inhabitants  of  Saratoga  Springs  were  en- 
deavoring to  do  everything  possible  to  make  that  place  a  celebrated 
summer  resort,  by  the  construction  of  handsome  hotels,  the  improve- 
ment of  its  spring  property  and  the  development  of  new  spHngs,  they 
were  not  unmindful  of  the  mental  and  spiritual  welfare  of  the  com- 
munity. The  First  Baptist  church,  organized  late  in  the  eighteenth 
century,  though  not  yet  permanently  established  in  the  village,  had 
several  members  residing  there,  and  the  number  of  these  increased  as 
the  population  grew.  In  1833  the  church  was  finally  located  in  the 
village.  For  many  years  this  Baptist  organization  and  a  small  society 
of  orthodox  Quakers  were  the  only  religious  societies  in  the  village. 
But  in  1816  a  number  of  the  inhabitants  adhering  to  the  Presbyterian 
faith  organized  themselves  into  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Sara- 
toga Springs.  The  organization  was  perfected  January  15,  1816,  by 
the  election  of  Miles  Beach,  Ziba  Taylor  and  Nathan  Lewis  as  trustees. 
The  first  elders,  Abijah  Blanchard  and  Luman  B.  Smith,  were  not  or- 
dained until  December  11,  1817.  The  former  was  also  ordained  deacon. 
June  6,  1816,  the  society  was  incorporated,  and  August  19,  1817,  it  be- 
came a  member  of  the  Albany  presbytery." 

Early  in  the  century  Episcopal  services  were  held  at  Saratoga  Springs. 
A  chapel,  given  by  Dr.  John  Clarke,  stood  on  the  northeast  corner  of 
Congress  and  Putnam  streets,  where  Rev.  Edward  Davis  of  Ballston 

'  The  first  United  States  hotel  was  burned  in  1865. 
'  This  church  had  three  houses  o£  worship.  December  6, 1820,  the  first,  a  frame  building  lo- 
cated at  the  corner  of  Church  and  Matilda  streets,  was  consecrated.  The  second,  dedicated  in 
1842,  was  a  brick  edifice  located  on  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Caroline  street.  It  cost  $8,000, 
The  third,  which  stands  on  North  Broadway,  was  first  occupied  July  26,  1857.  It  cost  about  $30,- 
000.    Rev.  Darius  O.  Griswold  was  the  first  pastor. 


Ji^^i^^^c//^^ 


SARATOGA  SPRINGS,  1800-1831.  137 

Spa  voluntarily  conducted  services.  October  4, 1830,  the  congregation 
worshiping  here  formally  organized  Bethesda  Protestant  Episcopal 
church,  Rev.  Edward  Davis  at  that  time  being  the  missionary  and 
rector  in  charge  of  that  station.  At  this  meeting  Henry  Walton  and 
Wallace  Crawford  were  elected  wardens,  and  Hon.  John  H.  Steele,  Dr. 
John  Clarke,  Daniel  D.  Benedict,  Esek  Cowen,  Rockwell  Putnam,  Joel 
Clement,  Jonathan  Williams  and  Daniel  Wait  vestrymen.  Rev.  Ed- 
ward Davis  continued  to  serve  the  church,  but  in  the  capacity  of  mis- 
sionary, being  assisted  by  Rev.  Mr.  Babcock.' 

As  early  as  1812  the  inhabitants  of  Saratoga  Springs  were  wide 
awake  to  the  necessity  of  proper  school  accommodations  for  the  young. 
On  March  12  of  that  year  a  meeting  of  citizens  was  held  at  the  house 
of  Moses  Stickney  for  the  purpose  of  devising  means  for  the  construc- 
tion of  the  needed  school  house.  It  was  decided  to  erect  a  suitable 
building  on  land  belonging  to  Gideon  Putnam  on  the  north  side  of 
Washington  street ;  said  building  to  be  thirty  by  twenty-six  feet.  It 
was  built  by  Jesse  Morgan,  at  a  cost  of  $400,  under  the  direction  of 
Gideon  Putnam,  Miles  Beach  and  Nathan  Lewis.  The  house  was  paid 
for  by  issuing  shares  of  five  dollars  each,  which  appear  to  have  been 
quickly  subscribed.  The  general  school  system  of  the  State  was  in- 
augurated in  1813,  and  the  new  school  became  the  regular  legal  school 
for  the  newly  organized  District  15.  May  22,  1813,  Nathan  Lewis, 
Miles  Beach  and  Jotham  Holmes  were  chosen  the  first  trustees  of  the 
new  district,  and  Daniel  D.  Benedict  was  elected  secretary  and  col- 
lector. At  the  meeting  held  November  12,  1818,  the  district  was 
divided  into  two  districts."     November  24,    1831,  it  was  resolved  to 

^  The  first  regular  rector  was  Rev.  William  F.  Walker,  who  had  been  rector  of  Christ  church 
in  Troy,  N.  Y.  The  first  church  edifice  was  built  in  1842-1844,  and  stood  on  the  south  side  of  Wash- 
ington street,  on  a  lot  purchased  of  Rockwell  Putnam.  This  was  enlarged  and  improved  in  1859. 
Rev.  Mr.  Walker,  the  first  regular  rector,  was  succeeded  September  3,  1843,  by  Rev.  Samuel  Han- 
son Cox.  The  successive  rectors  since  that  year  have  been  :  Rev.  John  Henry  Hobart,  March 
28,  1845,  to  June  9, 1846 ;  Rev.  Philip  E.  Milledoler,  M.  D.,  June  9, 1846,  to  June  19, 1850 ;  Rev.  B.  H. 
Whicher,  supplied  for  Dr.  Milledoler,  1849-1850,  by  reason  of  the  illness  of  the  latter ;  Rev.  S.  F. 
Wiley,  September  13,  1850,  to  November,  1852 ;  Rev.  Dr.  Deodatus  Babcock,  supply  during  part  of 
1852-1853 ;  Rev.  John  S.  Kidney,  February  23,  1853,  to  April,  1858  ;  Rev.  Robert  C.  Rogers,  May  10, 
1858,  to  July,  1861 ;  Rev.  Edmund  Rowland  Deacon,  July  5,  1861,  to  October,  1863;  Rev.  Francis  C. 
Wainwright,  November  12,  1863,  to  May,  1865;  Rev.  G.  C.  V.  Eastman,  officiating  clergyman  from 
May,  1865,  to  April,  1866 ;  Rev.  John  B.  Gibson,  April  20, 1866,  to  1869 ;  Rev.  Dr.  Norman  W.  Camp, 
1869  to  1873  ;  Rev.  Joseph  Carey,  D.  D.,  1873  to  the  present  time, 

"^  The  existing  public  school  system  in  Saratoga  Springs  was  organized  in  pursuance  of  a 
special  act  of  the  Legislature  passed  April  12,  1867,  consolidating  all  school  districts  in  the  village 
into  the  Union  Free  school  district  of  Saratoga  Springs.  The  law  named  Oliver  L.  JBarbour, 
Augustus  Bockes  and  John  Shipman  as  trustees  of  the  first  class;  Joseph  A.  Shoudy,  Thomas 
Flanigah  and  Aaron  Hill  as  trustees  of  the  second  class,  and  John  Woodbridge,  John  Palmer  and 


138  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

move  the  school  house  "to  R.  Putnam's  lot  next  north  of  James  Cald- 
well's lot,  No.  61." 

A  Masonic  lodge  existed  at  Saratoga  Springs  as  early  as  1821.  Rising 
Sun  lodge  had  been  organized  several  years  before  in  that  part  of  the 
town  of  Northumberland  which  subsequently  became  the  town  of  Wil- 
ton. The  first  known  records  of  the  lodge  bear  date  of  October  4,  1808, 
when  Nicholas  Angle  was  worshipful  master,  Daniel  Wicks  was  senior 
warden  and  Jonas  King  was  junior  warden.  The  lodge  then  probably 
was  working  under  a  dispensation,  as  the  charter  now  in  the  possession 
of  Rising  Sun  lodge  is  dated  September  6,  1809,  when  Nicholas  Angle 
was  still  worshipful  master,  Stephen  King  senior  warden,  and  Jared 
Palmer  junior  warden.     In  1821  it  was  decided  to  remove  the  lodge  to 

Charles  S.  Lester  as  trustees  o£  the  third  class.  This,  the  first  board  o£  education,  was  organ- 
ized April  16, 1867,  by  the  election  of  Charles  S.  Lester  as  president.  The  Union  School  employs 
fifty-six  teachers  and  occupies  ten  different  buildings.  The  High  school  building  was  erected  in 
1885.  There  are  tour  comparatively  new  buildings— No.  3,  built  in  1890;  No.  1,  built  in  1891;  No.  7, 
built  in  1893,  and  the  annex  to  the  High  school,  built  in  1894.  The  presidents  of  the  board  of  edu- 
cation since  its  organization  have  been: 

Charles  S.  Lester April  16,  1867  to  October  4,  1869 

James  L.  Cramer October  6,  1869  to  October  28, 1869 

Hiram  A.  Wilson October  28, 1869  to  September  31,  1871 

Lewis  E.  Whiting September  21, 1871  to  October  24,  1872 

Paoli  Durkee October  24, 1872  to  October  27, 1873 

George  P.  White November  10, 1873  to  October  38,  1874 

John  B.  Hulbert October  28, 1874  to  October  26,  1875 

Lemuel  B.  Pike November  8,  1875  to  August  13,  1877 

Charles  H.  Tefft,  jr August  IS,  1877  to  October  26,  1877 

John  Shipman October  26,  1877  to  October  22,  1878 

Isaac  Y.  Ouderkirk November  9,  1878  to  October  27,  1879 

John  Foley November  3,  1879  to  October  24,  1882 

Levi  S.  Packard October  31, 1882  to  November  6, 1882 

Bostwick  Hawley November  6,  1883  to  October  24,  1883 

Charles  F.  Pish October  24, 1883  to  October  36,  1887 

William  R.  Waterbury — October  26, 1887  to  Ofctober  34,  1888 

Thomas  Douglass October  24.  1888  to  October  23,  1889 

John  Shipman,  jr October  33,  1889  to  October  29,  1890 

Charles  M.  Davison October  29,  1890  to  October  29, 1891 

Charles  O.  Van  Dorn October  39,  1891  to  October  39,  1892 

William  MoNamara October  29,  1893  to  October  29,  1893 

George  M.  Crippen October  29  1898  to  October  24,  1894 

A.  de  R.  McNair October  24,  1894  to  October  33,  1895 

C.  B.  Thomas October  23,  189S  to  October  38, 1896 

D.  J.  Tynan October  28,  1896  to  October  27,  1897 

E.  D.  Starbuck October  27,  1897  to  

The  superintendents  of  schools  and  secretaries  have  been  : 

James  N.  Crocker August  1, 1867  to  February  1, 1869 

David  L.  Rouse February  12,  1869  to  September  6,  1869 

Levi  S.  Packard September  6,  1869  to  August  31,  1882 

George  T.  Church September  1,  1883  to  August  15,  1885 

Edward  N.  Jones August  15,  1885  to  August  31,  1893 

Thomas  R.  Kneil September  1, 1893 


SARATOGA  SPRINGS,  1800-1831.  139 

Saratoga  Springs,  but  the  Grand  lodge  did  not  approve  of  the  removal 
until  June  5,  1824.  Before  this,  however,  as  early  as  1833,  lodge  meet- 
ings had  been  held  in  the  old  Congress  Hall,  then  known  as  Drake's 
building.  Subsequently  meetings  were  held  in  the  Columbian  hotel, 
corner  of  Broadway  and  Lake  avenue,  and  elsewhere. 

The  earliest  cemetery  in  the  vicinity  of  Saratoga  Springs,  as  far  as 
known,  was  the  old  Sadler  burying  ground,  which  stood  on  the  hill  in 
the  northeast  part  of  the  village.  Interments  were  made  here  as  early 
as  1785  probably,  as  a  stone  inscribed  with  that  date  stood  in  the  cem- 
etery before  its  destruction.  In  1810  Gideon  Putnam  gave  to  the 
village  a  tract  of  land  in  the  heart  of  the  village,  which  was  used  as  a 
cemetery  for  many  years.  Dr.  John  Clarke,  Nathan  Lewis  and  his 
family,  and  several  other  prominent  persons  of  the  olden  time  were 
interred  there. 

This  village  was  plentifully  supplied  with  stores  in  the  early  days, 
with  here  and  there  a  small  manufactory  or  mill.  In  1813  John  and 
Ziba  Taylor  had  a  well  stocked  store,  which  had  been  in  existence  several 

years,  and Gleason  had  a  blacksmith  shop.     The  year  following, 

or  a  little  later,  Palmer  &  Waterbury  started  a  bakery.  About  that 
time  Beach  &  Farlin  opened  another  grocery  store.  Hendrick  &  Knowl- 
ton  began  business  as  merchants  in  1815,  Nathan  Lewis  in  1816,  Ash- 
bel  and  Ferdinand  Andrews  in  1818,  Robert  McDonald  in  1819  or  1820, 
and  Joseph  Westcot  in  1820.  McDonald  soon  afterward  abandoned  the 
grocery  business  to  start  a  hardware  store.  Mr.  Langworthy  also  had 
a  hardware  store.  Asa  Wright  and  Mr.  Reynolds  were  also  early  mer- 
chants.    John  Swain  had  a  lime  kiln  near  the  Empire  spring. 

The  Saratoga  County  Bible  Society  was  organized  August  24,  1815, 
nearly  a  year  before  the  organization  of  the  American  Bible  Society. 
Its  first  officers  were :  President,  Rev.  Samuel  Blatchford,  D.  D. ;  vice- 
presidents,  Rev.  Dirck  C.  Lansing,  Rev.  James  Mairs;  corresponding 
secretary.  Rev.  Reuben  Sears;  treasurer,  Elisha  Powell. 

An  early  libel  suit  in  Saratoga  Springs  is  thus  referred  to  in  the 
Ballston  Spa  Gazette  of  January  7,  1823.  The  item  was  printed  among 
the  advertisements  upside  down : 

Davison's  Confession. — Some  time  in  the  month  of  January,  1821,  Mr.  Davison, 
editor  of  the  Saratoga  Sentinel,  published  a  gross  libel  on  Samuel  M.  Hopkins,  Esq. 
of  the  Western  District,  and  although  he  was  furnished  with  the  evidence  that  what 
he  had  published  was  a  wilful  falsehood,  he  had  not  the  candor  to  retract  it,  until 
coMrELLED  to  do  SO,  by  a  prosecution  in  the  Supreme  Court — when  Mr.   Davison 


140  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

"gladly"  compromised  the  suit,  by  signing  a  humble  "  confession,"  thereby  admit- 
ting what  he  had  published  was  a  lie. 

While  the  village  of  Saratoga  Springs  was  prospering  as  a  summer 
resort,  the  neighboring  village  of  Ballston  Spa  was  developing  rapidly 
along  the  same  lines;  but  it  was  also  taking  a  prominent  and  substan- 
tial position  as  a  commercial  and  industrial  centre  as  well.  By  the  end 
of  the  period  of  which  we  are  now  writing,  when  the  first  steam  rail- 
road to  Ballston  Spa  was  opened  for  traffic,  the  latter  village  had  be- 
come one  of  the  most  thriving  communities,  considering  its  population, 
in  New  York  State ;  while  Saratoga  Springs  was  glorying  in  its  world- 
wide reputation  as  the  greatest  of  all  American  summer  resorts— and 
with  prospects  of  a  future  even  a  thousand  times  more  brilliant  than 
its  past ! 

Little  remains  to  be  said  regarding  the  progress  of  the  town  of  Sara- 
toga Springs  during  this  period.  The  village  seemed  to  attract  nearly 
everything  and  everybody.  Outside  the  village,  the  town  pursued  the 
the  even  tenor  of  its  way.  The  development  of  the  farming  lands  was 
pushed,  school  houses  were  erected,  and  various  business  interests  were 
established;  but  the  latter  were  so  closely  identified  with  those  of  the 
village  that  it  is  difficult  to  separate  the  two. 

One  of  the  most  important  events  occurring  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  county  in  the  early  part  of  the  century  was  the  construction  of  the 
bridge  across  the  Hudson  river  at  Waterford,  connecting  Waterford 
and  Lansingburgh,  in  1804.'  When  the  bridge  was  constructed  it  was 
deemed  a  marvel  of  engineering  skill.  How  the  public  looked  upon 
the  structure  at  that  time  is  manifested  by  the  elaborate  character  of 
the  exercises  which  attended  its  opening.  The  Lansingburgh  Gazette, 
in  its  issue  of  December  4,  1804,  said : 

Union  bridge,  lately  erected  over  the  Hudson,  between  this  village  and  Water- 
ford, was  yesterday  opened  for  passengers.  The  particulars  of  the  celebration  of 
this  event  will  be  given  in  our  next  paper. 

The  next  issue  of  the  paper,  December  11,  1804,  devoted  more  than 
a  column  to  a  description  of  the  event.  Among  the  interesting  clauses  it 
contained  were  these: 

This  handsome  structure,  which  promises  to  be  of  durable  and  important  public 
utility,  was  commenced  early  the  present  season,  and  is  now  so  far  completed  as  to  be 
adjudged  by  the  proper  authority  fit  for  the  uses  of  travelers.  The  work  was  exe- 
cuted under  the  direction  of  Theodore  Burr,  principal  architect ;  by  James  McElroy, 

'  This  is  said  to'  be  the  oldest  wooden  bridge  in  the  United  States. 


WATERFORD,  1800-1831.  141 

head  mason,  and  Samuel  Shelly,  master  carpenter,  and  unites  a  degree  of  strength 
and  elegance  which  reflects  the  highest  credit  on  these  gentlemen. 

The  day  was  a  holiday  in  both  Waterford  and  Lansingburgh.  A 
" very  numerous  procession"  was  formed  at  noon  at  Johnson  &  Jud- 
son's  hotel  in  Lansingburgh,  marched  to  the  bridge,  and  thence  across 
into  Waterford,  "  under  the  discharge  of  seventeen  cannon,"  where  a 
dinner  had  been  provided  at  Gerardus  Van  Schoonhoven's  hotel  at  the 
expense  of  the  stockholders  of  the  bridge.  Among  the  prominent  per- 
sons in  attendance  were  Governor  Morgan  Lewis,  Thomas  Tillotson, 
secretary  of  state;  Elisha  Jenkins,  state  comptroller;  Simeon  Uewitt, 
the  surveyor-general,  "  and  a  large  number  of  the  respectable  gentle- 
men from  Albany  and  adjacent  villages,"  who  "partook  in  much  har- 
mony and  conviviality. "  The  bridge  was  rebuilt  in  1813-1814,  at  an 
expense  of  $20,000." 

The  village  of  Waterford  was  extensive  enough  in  1801  to  support  a 
newspaper,  the  second  published  in  Saratoga  county.  It  was  called  the 
Waterford  Gazette,  and  was  started  either  in  1800  or  1801  by  Horace  L. 
Wads  worth.  It  was  continued  until  after  the  close  of  the  war  of  1813- 
14.  After  a  lapse  of  several  years  another  newspaper,  the  Waterford 
Reporter,  was  started  in  1833  by  William  L.  Fish.  This  paper  had  a 
short  career.  The  third  venture  was  the  Anti-Masonic  Recorder, 
which  was  established  in  1830  by  J.  C.  Johnson,  as  the  local  organ  of 
the  Anti-Masonic  party.  It  ceased  to  be  published  soon  after  the  sub- 
sidence of  the  Anti-Masonic  agitation. 

The  village  was  incorporated  in  1801.  It  was  then  a  prosperous 
community,  with  several  important  manufacturing  concerns  and  a  num- 
ber of  mercantile  establishments.  Flouring  mills  were  started  there  at 
an  early  date,  a'nd  two  or  more  grist  mills  and  saw  mills  were  located 
on  the  banks  of  the  creek  at  the  beginning  of  the  century.  Before 
1815  these  merchants  were  doing  business  in  town :  Wynant  Vanden- 
burgh,  Foster  &  Vandenburgh,  Henry  Ten  Broeck,  House,  Myers  & 
Co.,  Stewart  &  Knickerbacker,  John  Vibbard,  Scott  &  Fowler,  King  & 
Foster,  Davis  &  Thorn,  Moses  Scott,  Close  &  Vandecar,  all  of  whom 
were  doing  a  general  business;  Horace  Hudson,  hardware  merchant; 
Samuel  Drake,  druggist;  George  Edson,  leather  store;  Roger  Evans, 
jeweler;  James  Fowler,  tailor  and  Mr.  Grant,  hatter.     Among  the  man- 

'  This  structure  is  eight  hundred  feet  long  and  thirty  feet  wide,  comprising  four  arches  which 
are  supported  by  three  piUars  and  two  abutments.  It  is  owned  by  the  Union  Bridge  Company, 
of  which  Thomas  A.  Knickerbacker  is  president  and  John  Knickerbacker  treasurer. 


142  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ufacturers ,  James  Oliphant  ran  a  tannery,  Mr.  Grant  had  a  flouring 
mill,  John  Robinson  made  boots  and  shoes,  James  Hale  had  a  forge 
and  blacksmith  shop.  There  were  several  lawyers  in  town,  including 
James  Van  Schoonhoven,  Samuel  Huntington,  William  Given  and  John 
Cramer.  Dr.  Whitmore  and  Dr.  Porter  had  offices  in  town  about  this 
time.  Taverns  were  kept  by  Gerardus  Van  Schoonhoven,  Samuel 
Demarest,  Mr.  Smith  and  Mr.  Haight.  Between  1815  and  1820  other 
business  enterprises  were  established,  including  the  store  of  Todd  & 
Comstock,  Isaac  Bailey  and  D  K.  Lighthall.  N.  B.  Doe  opened  a  law 
office  about  1816. 

For  many  years,  beginning  about  1825,  the  cooperage  business  was 
an  important  industry  in  Waterford,  where  thousands  of  barrels  and 
tubs  of  all  kinds  were  turned  out  annually.  Among  the  early  man- 
ufacturers were  men  named  Brewster,  Driscoll,  Preston  and  Sheridan. 

In  1838  the  industrial  standing  of  Waterford  was  greatly  enhanced 
by  the  construction  of  a  hydraulic  canal.  This  canal  was  designed  and 
built  by  John  Fuller  King,  of  Coleraine,  Mass.,  an  inveiitor  of  canal 
locks  and  a  genius  of  great  value  to  the  community.  The  work  was 
called,  in  his  honor,  "the  King  canal."  It  began  above  the  falls  in 
the  Mohawk  river  and  extended  to  the  edge  of  the  hill  in  the  western 
part  of  the  village.  The  construction  of  the  fine  water-power  induced 
numerous  manufacturers  to  locate  in  Waterford.  At  the  lower  end  of 
the  canal  a  cotton  factory  was  located  for  many  years.  Kilby  &  Van- 
dewerker  had  a  furnace  there,  Colonel  Olney  had  a  machine  shop,  and 
others  had  a  twine  factory,  an  ink  factory  and  a  flour  and  grist  mill. 
The  canal  was  lengthened  in  1831,  and  numerous  other  manufactories 
availed  themselves  of  the  advantages  it  offered. 

It  was  at  Waterford  that  one  of  the  most  noted  schools  for  young 
ladies  in  the  United  States  was  first  located.  This  was  the  Emma 
Willard  Female  Seminary  (now  known  as  the  Emma  Willard  School). 
Mrs.  Emma  Willard  was  the  wife  Dr.  John  Willard.  In  1814  she 
established  a  boarding  school  for  girls  at  Middlebury,  Vt.  While  act- 
ing as  principal  of  that  school  she  conceived  a  plan  for  the  incorpo- 
ration and  endowment  of  an  institution  for  the  higher  education  of 
young  women.  Believing  that  New  York  State  offered  superior  ad- 
vantages for  the  location  of  such  a  school,  she  communicated  an  out- 
line of  her  plan  to  Governor  De  Witt  Clinton,  who  at  once  agreed  to 
assist  her.  According  to  his  promise,  the  governor  caused  to  be  passed 
a  legislative  enactment  incorporating  a  female  seminary  at  Waterford 


WATERFORD,  1800-1831.  143 

under  the  care  of  the  Regents  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  and  appropriating  thereto  its  proper  quota  of  the  public  moneys. 
The  seminary  was  opened  in  the  spring  of  1819.  After  it  had  been 
successfully  incorporated  the  citizens  of  Troy,  appreciating  the  advant- 
ages which  would  accrue  to  them  from  the  location  of  the  school  in 
that  city,  proposed  to  Mrs.  Willard  that  she  remove  the  seminary  to 
Troy,  agreeing  to  contribute  freely  of  their  means  to  its  establishment 
and  maintenance.  To  this  proposition  she  assented,  though  efforts 
were  made  to  induce  her  to  remain  in  Waterford,  and  in  the  summer  of 
1821  the  school  was  removed  from  Waterford  to  Troy,  where  it  has 
since  been  maintained. 

Waterford  had  good  public  schools  during  this  period,  and  one  acad- 
emy at  which  many  of  her  best  citizens  were  educated. 

Several  religious  societies  were  organized  in  Waterford  during  the 
first  three  decades  of  the  present  century.  The  first  of  these  was  the 
society  which  ultimately  became  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Waterford. 
Some  authorities  say  that  organization  was  effected  before  1800,  but  if 
this  is  true,  it  was  very  weak,  and  lay  dormant  for  several  years.  The 
Reformed  Dutch  church  erected  a  house  of  worship  in  1799,  and  the 
Presbyterians  then  united  with  this  society.  In  1803  the  union  be- 
tween the  Presbyterian  churches  at  Troy  and  Lansingburgh  was  dis- 
solved. About  the  same  time  the  pulpit  of  the  Dutch  Reformed 
church  of  Waterford  became  vacant,  by  reason  of  the  failing  health  of 
Rev.  John  Close,  who  had  been  pastor  since  1797.  X^^onsequently  the 
Presbyterian  church  of  Lansingburgh  invited  the  Presbyterians  of 
Waterford  to  join  with  them  in  calling  Rev.  Samuel  Blatchford  of 
Bridgeport,  Conn.,  to  the  pastorate.  This  proposition  was  agreed  to, 
and  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Waterford  was  reorganized^  ecclesias- 
tically distinct  from  both  the  other  churches.  July  18,  1804,  Rev.  Mr. 
Blatchford  was  installed  as  pastor  of  the  two  churches.  In  that  year 
the  Dutch  Reformed  church  placed  its  house  of  worship  at  the  disposal 
of  the  new  Presbyterian  organization,  and  for  twenty-one  years  united 
with  it  in  supporting  the  pastor.  In  1826,  the  Reformed  church  desir- 
ing to  revive  its  organization,  the  Presbyterians  held  services  in  Classic 
Hall,  on  First  street,  but  at  once  began  the  erection  of  their  church  on 
the  corner  of  Division  and  Third  streets.  This  building,  which  cost 
$4,000,  was  dedicated  in  September,  1826.  Dr.  Blatchford  continued 
to  be  pastor  until  his  death,  March  17,  1828.' 

1  In  1865-66  this  building  was  enlarged  and  remodeled  at  an  expense  o£  $20,000.    The  organ 
placed  in  the  church  at  that  time  was  the  gi£t  of  John  Cramer.    The  edifice  was  rededioated 


144  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Grace  Protestant  Episcopal  church  of  Waterford  was  organized  Sep- 
tember 17,  1810,  by  the  election  of  Richard  Davis,  jr.,  and  John 
Vibbard  as  wardens;  and  Guert  Van  Schoonhoven,  Henry  Davis, 
Hezekiah  Ketchum,  James  Meeker,  Benjamin  Chamberlain,  William 
McDonald,  Joseph  Ketchum  and  Ward  Rice  as  vestrymen.  At  a  meet- 
ing of  the  vestry  December  10  following,  John  Davis  was  chosen  clerk, 
William  M  McDonald  collector  and  John  Davis  treasurer.  July  1, 
1811,  the  meeting-house  which  had  been  used  by  a  Methodist  congre- 
gation' was  purchased,  and  at  once  repaired  and  refurnished,  being 
consecrated  by  Bishop  Hobart  August  30,  1813.  May  20,  1814,  Rev. 
Parker  Adams  was  called  as  the  first  rector.' 

The  Baptist  church  of  Waterford  was  not  organized  until  1821, 
though  Baptist  gatherings  had  been  held  in  town  as  early  as  1812. 
After  three  years  of  worship  at  the  home  of  Deacon  Whitney,  meetings 
were  held  in  the  old  school  house,  until  the  erection  of  the  first  house 
of  worship." 

Waterford  was  the  first  village  in  Saratoga  county  to  enjoy  the  privi- 
leges which  accrue  to  any  community  by  reason  of  the  establishment  of 
a  banking  institution.  May  29,  1830,  the  Legislature  passed  an  act 
incorporating  the  Saratoga  County  bank  of  Waterford,  the  capital  stock 
of  which  was  fixed  at  $100,000.  John  Knickerbacker,  James  Thomp- 
son, John  Cramer,  Miles  Beach  and  John  W.  Kirtland  were  named  as 
commissioners  to  receive  subscriptions  for  stock  and  call  the  first  meet- 
ing. John  Knickerbacker,  John  Cramer,  John  Vibbard,  Eli  M.  Todd, 
Moses  Scott,  Samuel  Thompson,  Matthew  Bailey,  Samuel  Cook  and 

May  10,  1866.  The  edifice  was  renovated  and  a  new  pipe  organ  placed  back  of  the  pulpit  in  1886. 
In  1897  the  old  windows  were  replaced  by  beautiful  figured  stained  glass  windows.  The  pastors 
of  the  church  since  the  death  of  Dr.  Blatchford  have  been  :  Rev.  Ebenezer  Cheever,  April  9, 
1828,  to  March,  1830 ;  Rev.  Lawrence  L.  Van  Dyke,  Rev.  George  Bush  supplies  to  1831 ;  Rev.  Reu- 
ben Smith,  May,  1831,  to  April  1,  1848  ;  Rev.  Alexander  B.  Bullions,  September  14,  1848,  to  1853  ; 
Rev.  Lewis  H.  Lee,  185.3  to  1863 ;  Rev.  Arthur  T.  Pierson,  October  6,  1863,  to  1869 ;  Rev.  R.  H.  P. 
Vail,  September  14,  1869,  to  March  31, 1876 ;  Rev.  A.  B.  Riggs,  1876-1889 ;  Rev.  Robert  W.  Beers, 
1890-1898. 

1  No  record  of  this  early  Methodist  church  is  extant. 

2  The  first  church  was  burned  in  the  great  fire  of  1841,  but  soon  after  a  new  edifice  was  con- 
structed of  brick  at  a  cost  of  about  $6,000.  In  1865  this  was  enlarged,  remodeled  and  completely 
refurnished,  including  the  purchase  of  a  fine  organ,  at  a  total  expense  of  about  $10,000.  The  rec- 
tors succeeding  Rev.  Parker  Adams  have  been  Revs.  George  Uphold,  Henry  Stebbins,  George 
B.  Eastman,  Joshua  Morss,  Joseph  J.  Nicholson,  Edward  Edwards,  Richard  S.  Adams,  William 
Walsh,  Joseph  Carey,  George  F.  Ferguson,  Charles  H.  Lancaster,  P.  A.  Shoup,  Walter  Thomp- 
son, William  D.  Maxon,  William  Rollins  Webb,  Charles  E.  Freeman,  S.  T.  Street  and  John  Mills 
Gilbert. 

'This  church,  a  brick  structure,  was  built  in  1842,  chiefly  through  the  efforts  of  George  Hurd, 
Merritt  Potter  and  T.  J.  Eddy.    Tl^e  structure  was  rebuilt  in  1867  at  a  cost  of  nearly  $20,000. 


STILLWATER,  1800-1831.  145 

Miles  Beach  were  named  as  the  first  directors,  and  at  their  first  meet- 
ing, held  July  14,  1830,  they  elected  John  Knickerbacker  president, 
Jonathan  H.  Douglas  cashier,  and  John  Cramer  attorney,  and  named  John 
Vibbard,  Eli  M.  Todd  and  John  House  as  a  committee  to  select  a  build- 
ing for  a  banking  house. 

September  24,  1804,  a  number  of  members  of  the  Masonic  fraternity 
residing  in  the  town  of  Milton  met  at  the  residence  of  William  G.  Boss, 
at  Milton  Hill,  and  organized  a  lodge  of  that  order.  March  32,  1805, 
this  organization  received  from  the  Grand  lodge  a  charter  giving  it  the 
title  of  Friendship  lodge  No.  118,  F.  &  A.  M.  Meetings  were  held 
in  the  town  of  Milton  until  January  2,  1821,  when  the  lodge  was  re- 
moved to  Ballston  Spa.  Here  communications  were  held  for  fourteen 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  period  the  charter  was  surrendered.  The 
lodge  was  never  revived. 

The  following  advertisment  appeared  in  the  Ballston  Spa  Gazette  of 
January  7,  1823 : 

Waterford  Ladies' School.— MISS  HAIGHT  respectfully  informs  the  public,  that 
she  has  opened  a  school  for  the  instruction  of  young  ladies,  in  which  are  taught 
the  following  branches: — Spelling,  Reading,  Writing,  Definitions,  English  Gram- 
mar, Arithmetic,  Geography  and  Composition,  $5  per  quarter.  Mappery,  History, 
Rhetoric,  Elements  of  Chemistry  and  Natural  Philosophy,  Use  of  Globes,  Geometry, 
Astronomy,  Logic,  Moral  and  Intellectual  Philosophy,  separate  or  in  conjunction 
with  the  above  branches,  $6  per  quarter.  Drawing  and  Painting,  ^5.  Painting  on 
Velvet,  $5.  Both  branches  taught  together,  $8  per  quarter.  The  French  language 
and  music  will  be  taught  provided  a  sufficient  number  should  apply  to  compose  a 
class. 

Waterford,  October  3,  1822. 


THE  undersigned  cheerfully  permits  himself  to  be  referred  to  both  for  the  char- 
acter and  accomplishments  of  Miss  Haight,  and  he  has  no  doubt,  the  public  will  soon 
perceive  the  advantage  of  encouraging  the  seminary  of  which  this  lady  has  the 
charge.  Samuel  Blatchford,  D.D. 

Lansingburg,  Oct.  12,  1822. 

The  first  noteworthy  industrial  advance  in  the  town  of  Stillwater 
occurred  about  1812,  when  Rensselaer  Schuyler,  a  man  of  wealth  and 
enterprise,  purchased  a  tract  of  land  now  occupied  by  a  portion  of  the 
village  of  Stillwater  and  established  mills.  Already  there  were  in  and 
near  the  village  a  grist  mill,  saw  mill,  flour  mill,  a  tannery,  an  ashery 
and  other  smaller  industries.  The  opening  of  the  Champlain  canal  in 
1825  gave  a  great  impetus  to  trade.  Soon  after  that  auspicious  event, 
Ephraim  Newland  became  the  promoter  of  several  enterprises.     Mills 

10 


146  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

were  established  by  him  for  the  manufacture  of  flannel  and  knit  goods, 
and  soon  after  a  second  knitting  mill,  a  wall  paper  plant  and  a  straw 
board  mill  were  started.  These  industries  caused  the  population  of  the 
place  to  increase  rapidly.  The  village  had  been  incorporated  in  1816, 
the  bounds  being  from  the  Stillwater  creek  half  a  mile  up  the  river, 
and  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  west  of  the  river.  In  1817  the 
Schuyler  mills  and  all  the  additions  built  after  the  erection  of  the  orig- 
inal buildings  were  burned.  The  property  afterward  was  owned  by 
Philip  J.  Schuyler,  who  erected  a  grist  mill  and  clothing  factory.  About 
the  time  the  canal  was  constructed  a  brick  kiln  was  erected,  employing 
the  clay  thrown  from  the  bed  of  the  canal  for  the  manufacture  of  brick. 

The  original  Presbyterian  church  of  Stillwater  ceased  to  exist  as  an 
organized  body  about  1795.  In  1816  the  Presbyterians  and  Congrega- 
tionalists  of  the  village  united  and  formed  ' '  The  First  Presbyterian 
Congregational  church  of  Stillwater."  But  this  organization  was  not 
a  success,  there  being  a  constant  conflict  of  authority,  although  the 
confession  of  faith  and  covenant  were  alike  for  both  denominations. 
Denison  Andrews,  John  W.  Patrick,  Samuel  Low  and  John  Sullivan 
were  the  first  elders,  and  Thomas  Morey,  William  Seymour  and  Peter 
Andrews  deacons.  When  it  was  seen  that  the  two  denominations 
could  not  exist  as  one  society,  the  church  was  dissolved  and  a  Presby- 
terian church  organized  March  11,  1818,  with  John  W.  Patrick,  Jesse 
Warren  and  Alfred  Benedict  as  elders,  and  Amos  Hodgman  as  deacon. 
Rev.  Dirck  C.  Lansing,  who  had  been  pastor  of  the  united  body,  re- 
tired at  this  time,  and  Rev.  Mark  Tucker  became  the  first  pastor  of 
the  new  society,  serving  in  this  capacity  until  1834.' 

Methodism  gained  a  foothold  in  town  early  in  the  century.  A  society 
was  organized  at  Ketchum's  Corners  about  1800,  but  little  is  known  of 
its  early  history.  Rev.  Datus  Ensign  was  the  pioneer  of  Methodism 
at  Stillwater.  In  1838  he  held  his  first  meeting  in  the  school  house  in 
the  northern  part  of  the  village,  where  a  small  class  was  formed.  From 
this  class  sprang  the  present  Methodist  church  of  Stillwater." 

'  The  first  house  of  worship  of  this  Presbyterian  church,  built  in  1791,  was  replaced  by  a  com- 
modious brick  edifice  in  1842. 

^  This  society  was  regularly  united  with  the  Stillwater  circuit  in  1835,  Rev.  E.  Goss  preaching 
regularly  once  in  two  weeks.  Soon  after  the  church  was  attached  to  the  society  at  Mechanic- 
ville,  but  in  1857  the  present  M.  E.  church  of  Stillwater  was  organized,  as  a  separate  station, 
under  the  ministry  of  Rev.  Reuben  Westcott.  Eleven  years  before  the  organization  of  the  so- 
ciety, or  in  1846,  a  house  of  worship  was  erected  at  an  expense  of  $800,  being  dedicated  by  Rev. 
Allen  Steele.  In  1874,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  A.  C.  Rose,  the  erection  of  the  present  edifice 
was  begun.    It  was  completed  during  the  second  pastorate  of  Rev.  W.  D.  Hitchcock  in  1886-1888. 


HALFMOON,  1800-1831.  147 

The  industrial  development  of  Halfmoon  was  slow  until  the  opening 
of  the  Champlain  canal  in  1825.  Numerous  grist  mills  and  saw  mills, 
with  at  least  one  brick  kiln,  were  in  operation  in  the  early  part  of  the 
present  century,  but  few  other  manufacturing  concerns  were  erected 
until  after  the  first  decade. 

Edward  A.  Morehouse,  who  came  to  Mechanicville  in  1835,  recalls  a  clear  picture 
of  the  village  of  that  date.  South  of  the  kill,  Dr.  Guerdon ;  two  Boillo  families ;  a 
colored  family;  the  old  tavern;  the  blacksmith  shop;  further  down,  McMuUigan. 
The  Guerdon  house  was  partly  log,  on  the  site  of  the  present  parsonage.  On  the 
Stillwater  side,  west  of  Main  street,  Morehouse's  tailor  shop,  Vernam's  store,  John 
Gross's  tavern ;  joining  the  store  was  Garrington's  residence,  then  a  house  and  store 
kept  by  William  Pierce.  On  the  east  side  of  the  street.  Skinner's  blacksmith  shop, 
Farnum's  store,  where  the  meat  market  is  now,  a  brick  house,  Squire  Hutton's  resi- 
dence, now  Widow  Boardman's,  Garrington's  harness  shop,  over  it  Lockwood's  shoe 
shop,  Lynott  Bloodgood's;  at  the  corner  old-fashioned  hay  scales,  wagon  and  all 
swung  up  by  chains  to  be  weighed ;  beyond  these  eight  or  ten  other  buildings,  and 
in  the  rear  the  factory  and  grist  mill,  as  now.  The  factory  had  been  erected  by 
Squire  Hutton  many  years  before,  had  been  burned,  rebuilt,  and  in  1835  was  owned 
by  Bloodgood.' 

Few  manufacturing  concerns  existed  outside  of  Mechanicville  in  these 
days.  The  chief  occupation  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  was  agri- 
culture, for  the  soil  of  the  town  is  generally  very  fertile  and  productive, 
both  on  the  flats  and  the  uplands. 

Several  religious  societies  were  organized  in  Halfmoon  during  thip 
period.  Early  in  the  century  a  Friends'  meeting  was  established  about 
three  miles  southwest  of  Mechanicville,  but  the  meetings  were  discon- 
tinued about  1850.  The  Second  Baptist  church  of  Halfmoon,  located 
for  many  years  at  Clifton  Park  village,  and  the  old  Baptist  church  at 
Middletown  were  successors  of  the  original  church  at  Newtown.  The 
Methodist  church  of  Mechanicville  had  its  inception  in  a  class  organ- 
ized in  1828.  This  resulted  in  the  erection  of  a  chapel  in  1832.'' 
Though  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  at  Mechanicville  (now  St. 
Luke's  church)  was  not  formally  organized  until  August  2,  1830,  the 
erection  of  the  house  of  worship  was  begun  at  least  a  year  before  that 
date.  It  was  consecrated  August  24,  1830,  by  Right  Rev.  John  Henry 
Hobart,  bishop  of  New  York.     The  first  ofiftcers  of  the  church  were: 

1  Sylvester's  History  of  Saratoga  County,  1878. 
2  Rev.  Mr.  Ensign  was  the  first  pastor  of  this  church,  vi^hich  now  [1898]  is  under  the  pastoral 
charge  of  Rev.  Dr.  William  H.  Hughes.  The  church  edifice  on  William  street  which  served  the 
society  so  many  years  was  sold  in  1883  to  the  Baptist  congregation,  and  a  new  church  was 
erected  in  that  year  on  North  Main  street,  at  the  cost  of  $20,000.  This  building  was  dedicated 
by  Bishop  Thomas  L.  Bowman  December  J8,  J884, 


148  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE, 

Wardens,  John  C.  Valentine  and  William  Gates;  vestrymen,  Hugh 
Peebles,  John  Cross,  Munson  Smith,  William  L.  R.  Valentine,  Lynott 
Bloodgood,  William  Tyler,  William  Tibbitts  and  Cramer  Vernam. ' 

Good  schools  existed  in  town  and  were  well  patronized.  The  old 
Halfmoon  academy,  located  at  Middletown,  was  considered  the  best, 
not  only  in  Halfmoon,  but  within  many  miles  thereof.  Among  the 
school  commissioners  who  served  at  the  beginning  of  the  century  were 
Hezekiah  Ketchum,  Benjamin  Mix,  Solomon  Waite  and  Robert  Ken- 
nedy. Among  those  who  served  after  the  passage  of  the  general  school 
law  of  1812  were  Ira  Scott,  Ashbel  Philo,  David  Garnsey,  Nathan 
Garnsey,  jr.,  Samuel  Reynolds,  Nicholas  B.  Doe,  John  E.  Vischer, 
John  B.  Miller,  Elnathan  Smith,  Nathan  Peck,  Henry  Clow,  Nehemiah 
G.  Philo,  Silas  Sweetland,  Joseph  Read,  Benjamin  Hall  and  Powell 
Howland. 

The  history  of  Schuylerville  and  the  town  of  Saratoga,  commonly 
known  as  Old  Saratoga,  during  the  first  third  of  the  century,  can  be 
told  in  a  few  words.  Little  else  is  to  be  recorded  but  the  development 
of  the  agricultural  interests  of  the  community.  The  inhabitants  of, 
Schuylerville  did  not  feel  that  their  village  was  important  enough  to 
ask  for  incorporation  until  1831,  the  end  of  the  period  covered  by  this 
chapter.  The  early  manufactures,  aside  from  those  referred  to  in  a 
preceding  chapter,  were  few  but  important.  The  old  fulling  mill 
established  by  the  Schuyler  family  before  1800,  passed  into  the  hands 
of  Mr.  Lawrence  in  1819.  This  he  operated  until  about  1830,  when  he 
took  charge  of  a  woolen  factory  located  in  a  part  of  the  old  biiilding 
formerly  occupied  as  a  distillery  by  Mr.  Schuyler.  The  manufacture  of 
woolen  goods  was  continued  in  this  building  until  it  was  destroyed  by 
fire  about  1850.  In  1838  Philip  Schuyler  built  a  cotton  factory,  which 
was  operated  continuously  for  many  years,  finally  becoming  the  prop- 
erty of  the  Saratoga  Victory  Manufacturing  company.  This  is  believed 
to  be  the  oldest  mill  of  its  kind  but  one  in  New  York  State. 

A  Masonic  lodge  existed  in  Schuylerville  for  man}--  years,  but  it  was 
disbanded  during  the  great  Anti-Masonic  agitation  and  was  never  re- 
organized. A  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  was  established  there  in  the  early 
days  of  that  order,  but  this  too  was  discontinued  many  years  ago. 

^  When  the  funds  were  subscribed  for  the  construction  of  this  church  it  was  stipulated 
that  it  should  be  dedicated  by  the  bishop  of  New  York,  though  all  religious  bodies  were  per- 
mitted to  worship  therein.  This  naturally  led  to  dissensions  and  July  15,  1835,  the  vestry  of  St. 
Luke's  having  obtained  a  release  from  all  societies  using  the  church  except  the  Episcopalians, 
the  property  came  into  the  sole  possession  of  St.  Luke's  church. 


SARATOGA,  1800-1831.  149 

Several  school  houses  were  located  in  town  during  this  period,  but  lit- 
tle is  known  of  them.  In  1813,  in  pursuance  of  the  general  school  law 
enacted  the  preceding  year,  the  town  was  divided  into  eighteen  school 
districts  and  these  school  commissioners  were  elected :  Wallace  Craw- 
ford, Harvey  Granger,  John  R.  Mott.  The  inspectors  chosen  were: 
Philip  Duryea,  Martin  L.  Bryan,  Reuben  Perry,  Esek  Cowen,  David 
Evarts,  Zeno  Remington.  Other  commissioners  who  served  during 
this  period  included  James  Green,  jr.,  Jonas  Olmstead,  James  Mott, 
William  Davis,  Eli  Granger,  James  W.  Smith,  Edward  Fitch,  Henry 
D.  Chapman,  Francis  R.  Winney,  James  Anibal,  Oliver  Cleveland, 
Henry  Wagman,  James  Place,  Ira  Lawrence,  William  Wilcox,  Elna- 
than  Patterson,  William  B.  Caldwell,  Henry  F.  Sherman  3d,  Richard 
M.  Livingston,  Joseph  Soule,  Orville  B.  Dibble,  Stephen  H.  Dilling- 
ham, Henry  T.  Sherman  and  Abram  B.  Barker.  Among  the  school 
inspectors  of  this  period  were  John  H.  Steele,  John  R.  Mott,  Richard 
M.  Livingston,  William  L.  F.  Warren,  Dudley  Farlin,  James  Green, 
Henry  D.  Chapman,  Elnathan  Spinner,  James  W.  Smith,  Aaron  Blake, 
William  B.  Caldwell,  Abram  Van  Duzen,  Rockwell  Putnam,  Harmon 
J.  Betts,  Philip  Schuyler,  Daniel  Morgan,  jr.,  Oliver  Brisbin,  Joseph 
Welch  and  James  C.  Milligan. 

At  least  two  churches  existed  in  the  town  of  Saratoga  at  the  opening 
of  the  century — the  Reformed  Dutch  church  and  the  Baptist  church  of 
Schuylerville.  January  30,  1827,  a  subscription  was  made  to  raise 
funds  to  build  a  house  of  worship  for  the  Methodists  residing  in  the 
town.     The  document  contained  this  interesting  statement: 

From  Lansingburg  along  the  valley  of  the  Hudson  for  fifty  miles,  with  a  breadth 
of  from  eight  to  ten  miles,  the  Episcopal  Methodists  have  not  one  house  dedicated 
to  the  worship  of  God.  Private  dwellings,  school  houses  and  barns  have  hitherto 
offered  to  their  classes  a  precarious  yet  acceptable  resort.  Perhaps  there  is  not  a 
spot  in  that  rich  and  populous  district  of  country  where  so  many  of  this  denomi- 
nation of  Christians  would  meet  as  at  Schuylerville  if  a  suitable  edifice  could  be 
erected. 

This  plea  was  successful,  and  in  the  summer  of  1827  a  house  of  wor- 
ship was  bailt,  and  dedicated  the  following  autumn.  At  the  time  of 
the  building  the  trustees  were  John  Cox,  Jedediah  Beckwith,  Oliver 
Cleveland,  Johp  Seeley  and  George  Strover.  John  Cox,  John  Seeley 
and  Asa  Welch  were  the  class  leaders.  Among  the  first  preachers  were 
B.  Griffin,  W.  P.  Lake,  W.  H.  Norris,  G.  Lyons,  C.  P.  Clark,  D.  Ensign 
and  J.  Beaman.  No  other  churches  were  organized  in  this  town  until 
1838,  when  the  Episcopal  church  of  Schuylerville  was  founded. 


150  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

That  politics  three-quarters  of  a  century  ago  was  conducted  on  much 
the  same  plan  as  to-day  is  evidenced  by  the  following  from  the  Ballston 
Spa  Gazette  of  January  7,  1823 : 

Reward  of  Merit.— On  the  9th  of  February  last,  Mr.  Gilbert  C.  Beedell,  esq.,  a 
meritorious  ofBcer,  was  removed  from  the  ofBce  of  Post-Master,  at  Schuylerville,  in 
the  town  of  Saratoga,  to  make  room  for  Mr.  O.  C.  Dibble,  who,  we  understand,  re- 
ceived his  appointment  by  means  of  an  invidious  representation,  made  to  the  post- 
master-general, and  which,  it  will  be  recollected,  was  shortly  after  exultingly  an- 
nounced in  the  "Sentinel."  We  have  now  the  satisfaction  of  announcing  that  a 
proper  statement  has  been  laid  before  the  P.  M.  G.  and  that  Mr.  peedell  was  rein- 
stated in  that  office  on  the  1st  instant. 

Several  small  mills  were  built  at  Corinth,  on  the  banks  of  the  Hud- 
son principally,  soon  after  the  opening  of  the  century.  About  1804  a 
saw  mill,  the  first  in  the  town,  was  built  at  the  falls  in  the  river.  In 
1810  it  was  owned  and  operated  by  Ira  Haskins.  In  1835  it  was  torn 
down  and  a  new  mill  was  built  by  William,  Thomas  and  Ebenezer  Ide. 
Thomas  Harsha  had  built  a  grist  mill  a  few  years  earlier.  In  1820 
George  W.  and  Matthew  Harsha  built  a  woolen  factory.  About  1829 
Beriah  Palmer  of  Ballston  purchased  the  property,  with  the  power, 
and  for  nearly  thirty  years  afterward  it  remained  idle. 

Schools  were  established  at  Jessup's  Landing  and  South  Cornith 
about  1800.  These  were  taught  by  Mrs.  Church,  Nehemiah  Price, 
Stephen  Olney,  Mr.  Sabine  and  Mr.  Spaulding. 

The  first  church  organized  in  Corinth  during  this  century  was  the 
Presbyterian  church  of  Corinth,  which  was  started  August  29,  1814,  as 
the  Congregational  church  of  Hadley  and  Luzerne.  The  church  was 
instituted  by  Rev.  Cyrus  Comstock,  missionary;  Rev.  Lebbeus  Arm- 
strong of  Moreau  and  Reuben  Armstrong  of  Bolton.  At  this  meeting 
Edward  Sherman  and  Nezer  Scofield  were  chosen  deacons.  In  Decem- 
ber of  that  year  this  society  connected  itself  with  the  Albany  presby- 
tery. In  1822  it  changed  to  a  Presbyterian  church  and  took  the  name 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Corinth.' 

The  early  days  of  the  century,  as  now,  were  devoted  almost  exclu- 
sively to  agricultural  pursuits  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Balls- 

■  The  first  church  edifice  was  constructed  in  1833  at  Jessup's  Landing.  In  1853  the  society  be- 
came extinct  and  the  property  was  sold  by  an  order  of  the  county  court.  The  pastors  of  this 
church  were  :  Rev.  Joseph  Farrar,  1816;  Rev.  William  Williams,  1818;  Rev.  Mr.  Manly,  1823;  Rev. 
Mr.  Cook,  183;8;  Rev.  Mr.  Beckley,  183.5;  Rev.  Josiah  Comstock,  1836;  Rev.  T.  Redfield,  1838;  Rev. 
Joel  Wood,  1833;  Rev.  T.  Redfield,  Rev.  Jeremiah  Wood  and  others.  The  present  church  was  not 
organized  until  February  17,  1867,  when  Thomas  Brown  and  John  C.  Herrick  were  elected  elders. 
The  house  o£  worship  near  Palmer's  Palls  was  built,  at  an  expense  of  $3,500,  in  the  fall  of  1873,  and 
dedicated  in  April,  1874,  Rev.  Henry  Darling  preaching  the  dedicatory  sermon. 


CHARLTON— GALWAY,  1800-1831.  151 

ton  residing  outside  the  village  of  Ballston  Spa,  which  occupied  a  por- 
tion of  the  town.  Not  unmindful  of  the  welfare  of  the  young,  these 
inhabitants  supported  several  good  schools.  About  1804  the  "  Ballston 
academy/j"  referred  to  in  preceding  pages  in  this  chapter,  was  opened, 
and  many  of  the  farmers  residing  as  far  as  five  miles  distant  sent  their 
children  to  school  there.  There  was  another  excellent  school  at  Acad- 
emy Hill,  another  at  Burnt  Hills  and  still  another  at  East  Line.  The 
latter  was  patronized  by  the  inhabitants  of  both  Ballston  and  Malta. 

In  the  neighboring  town  of  Charlton  there  existed,  between  1820  and 
1835,  a  hamlet  called  Little  Troy,  located  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
southeast  of  the  village  of  Charlton.  This  place  at  one  time  promised 
to  become  a  thriving  village.  In  it  was  located  a  fulling  mill,  a  card- 
ing mill,  a  saw  mill,  a  grist  mill,  three  distilleries,  a  blacksmith  shop, 
a  store  and  a  tavern.  Hardly  a  trace  of  the  manufactories  is  in  exist- 
ence to-day.  Aside  from  this  industrial  venture  Charlton  has  had  in 
its  history  few  manufacturing  establishments  except  such  as  were 
necessary  for  the  convenience  of  the  farming  community,  such  as  saw 
mills,  grist  mills,  wagon  shops  and  blacksmith  shops.  There  were 
few  schools  in  town  in  the  early  days,  and  of  these  practically  nothing 
is  known. 

The  first  church  organized  in  Charlton  during  this  century,  and  the 
third  in  the  town,  was  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  church,  which  was  formed 
December  10,  1803,  by  the  election  of  these  officers:  Wardens,  Jere- 
miah Smith  and  James  Sherwood ;  vestrymen,  Robert  Benedict,  James 
Bradley,  John  Lendrum,  Eleazer  Dows,  Eliud  Davis,  Matthew  La  Rue, 
Joseph  Van  Kirk  and  Patrick  Callahan.  The  following  spring  a  house 
of  worship  was  erected  by  Eleazer  Dows.  The  first  rector,  Rev.  Fred- 
erick Van  Horn,  assumed  charge  of  the  church  August  9,  1805.' 

Agriculture  has  always  been  the  chief  occupation  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Galway,  and  nothing  of  consequence  can  be  said  of,  the  early  industrial 
development  aside  from  this  branch.  Gen.  Earl  Stimson,  a  citizen  of 
prominence  in  the  early  part  of  the  century,  had  a  store,  hotel,  boarding- 
house  and  meat-packing  establishment  about  1810  on  the  hill  known  as 
Stimson's  Corners.  He  also  owned  stores  at  Galway  and  Broadalbin. 
Thomas  Mairs  of  Argyle,  Washington  county,  who  settled  in  Galway 
in  1832,  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business  in  1829,  continuing  nearly 
half  a  century. 

'  The  first  church  was  repaired  and  remodeled  in  1836.  Since  1857  the  church  has  been  con- 
nected with  the  society  o£  Calvary  church  at  Burnt  Hills,  both  being  served  by  one  rector. 


152  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

That  the  inhabitants  of  Galway  in  the  early  days  were  a  deeply 
religious  people  is  evident  from  the  fact  that,  though  sparsely  popu- 
lated, there  existed  at  least  half  a  dozen  churches  in  town  by  the  end 
of  the  period  under  consideration— 1800  to  1831— three  of  which  were 
organized  between  1807  and  1820.  The  first  of  these  was  the  First 
Associate  Presbyterian  church  of  Galway,  which  was  duly  organized 
February  24, 1807.  This  body  at  first  assumed  the  Congregational  form 
of  government,  but  was  allowed  to  become  attached  to  the  Albany 
presbytery.  Some  time  before  this  the  Presbyterians  had  started  the 
construction  of  their  house  of  worship,  which  was  begun  in  1804  and 
finished  in  1806.  The  original  membership  was  but  seventeen,  but  in 
two  years  this  had  increased  to  one  hundred  and  thirty  three.  The 
first  governing  committee,  appointed  February  6,  1808,  consisted  of 
Joel  Smith,  Avery  Starkweather,  Earl  Stimson,  Justus  Harris,  Joseph 
Mather,  Nehemiah  Conde,  Jehial  Dean,  Daniel  Dean,  Israel  Phelps  and 
Ezra  Kellogg. '  The  second  church  was  the  First  Christian  church  of 
Galway,  organized  July  11,  1814.  The  year  following  Reuben  Wait 
and  Jacob  Capron  were  elected  deacons.  Rev.  Maxson  Mosher  was 
the  most  prominent  of  the  early  pastors  of  the  church.  He  was  or- 
dained to  the  ministry  April  30,  1820,'  and  served  the  church  as  pastor 
for  about  a  quarter  of  a  century.  The  first  house  of  worship  was  built 
in  1814  at  Mechanic  Street,  about  three  miles  north  of  Galway.  It  was 
the  first  Christian  church  erected  in  the  State  of  New  York." 

In  the  town  of  Edinburgh  there  is  little  to  record  for  this  period. 
The  building  of  the  necessary  saw  mills  and  grist  mills  were  practically 
the  only  industries  in  the  town.  Little  is  known  of  the  early  schools. 
In  1812  a  school  was  taught  by  Titus  Andrews  in  the  house  of  Abijah 

^  In  1834  the  church  assumed  the  Presbyterian  form,  the  first  session  consisting  of  Elders 
Perez  Otis,  Piatt  B.  Smith,  Benham  Smith,  George  Davidson,  Calvin  Preston,  William  Beers 
and  William  Cruttenden,  and  Deacons  Enoch  Johnson  and  Stephen  C.  Hays.  A  new  church 
edifice  was  erected  in  1853  at  an  expense  of  about  $6,000,  being  dedicated  April  18,  18.54.  A 
parsonage  costing  $2,400  was  erected  in  1874.  The  pastors  of  the  church  have  been  :  Revs.  Syl- 
vanus  Haight,  Noah  M.  Wells,  William  Chester,  Samuel  Nott,  R.  Deming,  James  Harper,  Dun- 
can Kennedy,  Henry  Lyman,  J.  L.  Willard,  Laurin  E.  Lane, McFarlane,  William  H.  Mill- 
ham,  Oliver  Hemstreet,  1872-1880 ;  William  C.  McBeth,  1880-1881 ;  James  P.  Bryant,  1881-1888  ;  J. 
A.  B.  Ogliver,  1888-1889;  Charles  E.  Herbert,  1889-1894;  Lewis  R.  Webber,  1894  to  present  time. 
For  many  years  the  pastors  of  this  church  have  had  charge  of  the  Presbyterian  churches  at 
Galway  and  West  Galway  jointly. 

2  Many  of  the  members  of  this  church  having  embraced  the  doctrines  of  Second  Adventism, 
the  society  was  reorganized  August  25,  1855,  by  the  election  of  Restcome  Hall  as  deacon,  Daniel 
T.  Hart,  Reuben  Wait  and  Hiram  Wait  as  trustees,  and  Samuel  G.  Rider  as  clerk.  In  1845 
thirteen  members  of  this  church  organized  the  church  at  Barkersville.  The  house  of  worship 
was  repaired  in  1861. 


EDINBURGH— MALTA,  1800-1831.  153 

Stark.  About  the  same  time  the  Sandy  Hill  school  was  in  existence. 
In  1816  another  school  was  started  on  Liberty  Hill.  The  school  in  the 
Anderson  neighborhood  was  one  of  the  earliest  in  town. 

The  first  church  established  during  this  century  was  the  Presby- 
terian church  at  Batchellerville,  which  was  started  as  a  Congregational 
church  by  the  Edinburgh  Congregational  society,  organized  September 
5,  1808,  by  Rev.  Sylvanus  Haight  of  Galway.  The  first  house  of  wor- 
ship, erected  in  1815,  was  located  at  Fish  House  (Northampton),  but 
in  1824  another  was  erected  in  Edinburgh,  near' the  old  cemetery  be- 
tween Beecher's  Hollow  and  the  bridge  over  the  Sacandaga.  In  this 
year  the  society  divided,  part  going  to  the  church  at  Northampton  and 
part  remaining  in  Edinburgh.  Soon  after  its  organization  the  society 
became  Presbyterian,  but  in  1831  it  again  became  Congregational, 
though  still  remaining  under  the  care  of  the  Albany  presbytery."  Two 
Methodist  churches  were  established  in  the  town  during  these  years. 
The  first  of  these  was  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Beecher's  Hol- 
low (Edinburgh),  which  was  organized  about  1820,  and  the  "Edin- 
burgh Hill  "  M.  E.  church,  organized  a  year  or  two  later." 

Agriculture  having  been  almost  the  sole  occupation  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Malta  since  the  settlement-  of  the  town,  little  remains  to  be  said  of 
the  early  industrial  pursuits.  The  people  have  always  been  progressive, 
and  early  in  the  history  of  the  town  maintained  good  schools.  Among 
the  school  commissioners  who  served  from  1812  to  1831  were  such 
prominent  men  as  Richard  Dunning,  Thomas  Hall,  John  B.  Hall, 
Elliot  Green,  Zadock  Dunning,  Reuben  Doolittle,  David  Everts, 
William  Baker,  Dennis  Marvin,  Stephen  Valentine,  Peter  Fort, 
Robert  Hunter,  Palmer  Cady,  Gould  Morehouse,  Zalmon  Olmstead, 
Moses  Dunning,   Thomas  CoUamer,  Daniel    A.    Collamer  and  Alford 

^The  church  built  in  1824  was  abandoned  and  torn  down  in  1866,  when  the  society  again  be- 
came purely  Presbyterian  and  erected  a  house  of  worship  in  the  growing  village  of  Batcheller- 
ville at  a  cost  of  $8,000.  There  the  society  has  been  located  ever  since,  but  most  of  the  time  the 
pastors  have  supplied  the  church  at  Northampton  in  connection  with  the  Batchellerville  society. 
The  pastors  of  the  church  since  ISllhave  been  :  Revs.  N.  M.  Wells,  Lebbeus  Armstrong, Will- 
iams, Joseph  Farrar,  Halsey  A.  Wood, Monteith,  M.  Donalds,  Benjamin  H.  Pitnam,  Royal  A. 

Avery,  P.  R.  Burnham,  H.  Rinker,  S.  P.  Rollo,  L.  H.  Pease,  Isaac  De  Voe,  B.  P.  Johnson,  Henry 
Lancashire,  H.  C.  Stanton,  James  R.  Bryant,  1877-1881;  H.  R.  Rundall,  1881-1883;  W.  B.  Stewart, 
1882-1883;  James  B.  Campbell,  1883-1885;  D.  M.  Countermine,  1886-1889;  William  H  Hudnut  (supply), 
1889;  Rev.  Mr.  Renshaw,  1889-1890;  John  G.  Lovell,  June  1,  1890,  to  the  present  time.  Mr.  Lovell's 
pastorate  has  been  the  longest  in  the  history  of  the  society,  since  it  became  a  Presbyterian  church 
in  1867,  when  the  present  house  of  worship  was  dedicated. 

2  The  latter  church  had  no  house  of  worship  until  about  1835.  This  was  razed  in  1871  and  a 
new  one  erected,  being  dedicated  in  1873  by  Rev.  J,  K.  Wager.  In  1883  the  interior  of  the  church 
at  Beecher's  Hollow  was  remodeled.    In  1897  a  parsonage  was  purchased. 


154  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Scribner.  School  inspectors  serving  during  this  period  included, 
besides  some  of  the  men  already  mentioned,  Philo  T.  Beebe,  Mataliah 
Lathrop,  jr.,  Luther  Hulbert,  Samuel  Hunter,  Jared  Seymour,  Isaac 
Andrews,  David  Powers,  Henry  Doolittle,  Lewis  Waterbury,  Bockes 
Barrett,  Stephen  Thorn,  Abner  Carpenter,  Danforth  Shumway,  Moses 
Landon,  Barzillai  Millard,  Daniel  A.  CoUamer,  William  Marvfn  and 
Roswell  Day. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  East  Line,  now  extinct,  was 
built  in  1809  by  the  first  religious  society  in  town.  Many  of  its  mem- 
bers, however,  lived  in  the  town  of  Ballston,  and  the  house  of  worship 
was  erected  on  the  town  line  for  the  convenience  of  all.  The  building 
is  now  used  as  a  school  house.  It  is  believed  that  this  pioneer  society 
of  the  town  was  the  M.  E.  church  of  Stillwater,  incorporated  March 
26,  1800,  as  the  original  town  of  Stillwater  in  that  year  embraced  the 
town  of  Malta.  Services  were  discontinued  here  in  1870,  the  members 
being  transferred  either  to  Ballston  or  Jonesville.  Another  church  of 
this  denomination  was  organized  about  1827  at  Malta  Ridge.  For 
many  years  it  has  been  supplied  by  the  pastors  at  Round  Lake  and 
elsewhere.  In  1829  the  Methodist  Protestant  church  of  Malta  Ridge 
was  organized,  and  three  years  later  a  house  of  worship  was  erected  at 
a  cost  of  $1,000. 

Northumberland,  too,  has  been  principally  an  agricultural  town, 
though  it  had  some  manufactures  in  the  early  days  of  the  century. 
These  were  mainly  saw  mills,  grist  mills  and  flour  mills,  with  at  least 
one  tannery  and  a  wagon  shop.  Stores  were  numerous.  Charles  Car- 
penter had  the  second  store  in  the  town,  at  Northumberland  village,  in 
1800.  Three  years  later  another  was  opened  by  Mr.  Van  Tuyl  of  New 
York.  The  first  store  at  Gansevoort  was  not  opened  until  1831  or  1832, 
when  Morgan  Lewis  was  established  in  business.  Several  lawyers  lo- 
cated in  town  at  an  early  date.  The  most  important  law  firm  was  that  of 
Cowen  &  Gansevoort,  of  which  Esek  Cowen  was  the  head.  This  firm 
was  in  business  at  Gansevoort  as  early  as  1807.  John  and  WiUiam 
Metcalf  had  a  law  office  at  Northumberland  village  four  or  five  years 
earner.  All  had  extensive  practice.  At  Northumberland  village, 
which  afterward  was  known  as  Fort  Miller  Bridge,  an  incorporated 
company  erected  a  wooden  bridge  in  1803.  This  was  superseded  by  a 
a  new  bridge  in  1845. 

The  first  church  in  Northumberland,  the  Reformed  church,  was  not 
organized  until  November  30,  1820.     It  sprang  from  the  pioneer  church 


HADLEY,  1800-1831.  155 

at  Schuylerville,  and  was  organized  at  Bacon  Hill.  At  the  institution 
of  the  church,  John  Terhune  and  Carruth  Brisbin  were  ordained  elders 
and  Andrew  Johnson  and  Jonas  Olmstead  deacons.  Rev.  Philip  Dur- 
yea,  pastor  of  the  Schuylerville  church,  was  engaged  to  preach  part 
of  the  time  for  the  new  church. 

The  early  industries  of  the  town  of  Hadley  were  unimportant. 
Jeremy  Rockwell  built  a  grist  mill  at  Hadley  village  in  1803,  and 
opened  a  store  in  1807.  Soon  after  two  saw  mills  were  erected  at 
Conklingville,  one  each  side  of  the  Sacandaga  river.  In  1828  Johnson 
&  Wait  built  a  dam  across  the  Sacandaga  at  that  point,  and  in  1831 
another  was  built  by  Isaac  Barber.  Both  were  carried  away  by  a  flood 
in  1848.  A  bridge  at  the  mouth  of  that  river  was  built  by  Obadiah 
Wilcox  in  1813.     Of  the  early  schools  almost  nothing  is  known. 

About  the  year  1825  the  first  religious  meetings  in  Hadley  were  held 
at  the  house  of  John  Loveless.  The  following  year  an  open  commun- 
ion Baptist  society  was  organized,  with  Rev.  Chandler  as  pastor 

and  John  Loveless  and  John  Jenkins  as  deacons.  The  society  had  no 
house  of  worship  however  for  many  years. ' 

Of  Moreau  there  is  little  to  be  said  as  bearing  on  this  period.  Almost 
the  sole  industries  of  these  times  were  such  as  were  necessary  to  the 
existence  of  the  inhabitants.  In  1813  a  ferry  was  established  by  one 
Tillottson  at  the  great  bend  in  the  Hudson.  At  this  time  saw  mills 
and  jg^rist  mills  were  about  the  only  enterprises  in  the  town. 

In  1802  Amos  Hawley,  who  had  removed  to  Hadley  from  Connecti- 
cut, became  instrumental  in  the  organization  of  a  Congregational 
church,  of  which  he  became  one  of  the  first  deacons.  Rev.  Lebbeus 
Armstrong,  the  first  pastor,  was  installed  in  1804.  Internal  affairs  in 
the  church  appear  to  have  been  far  from  harmonious,  atid  dissensions 
were  almost  continuous;  even  to  such  an  extent  that  one  faction  left 
the  society  and  built  a  separate  church.  The  church  finally  became  so 
weak,  and  there  were  so  many  other  churches  of  essentially  similar 
faith  in  adjoining  towns,  that  it  became  extinct  in  1859. 

An  important  event  in  the  history  of  the  town  was  the  organization 
of  "The  Moreau  and  Northumberland  Temperate  Society"  in  1808, 
mainly  through  the  efforts  of  Dr.  Billy  J.  Clark,  .an  early  physician. 
This  society  is  referred  to  more  in  detail  in  a  preceding  chapter. 

1  This  society  was  reorganized  in  1841  as  the  Free  Will  Baptist  church  of  Hadley,  and  in  1844 
Elder  David  Hyde  built  the  first  house  of  worship,  a  cheap  frame  structure  for  temporary  use. 
A  new  church  was  built  in  1869  at  a  cost  of  $3,600,  and  dedicated  January  20,  1870,  by  Rev. 
George  T.  Day  of  Dover,  N.  H.    The  fii;st  pastor  was  Rev.  John  H.  Loveless. 


156  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Several  events  of  more  than  passing  interest  transpired  in  the  town 
of  Greenfield  in  the  early  years  of  the  century.  One  of  the  first,  as 
well  as  the  most  noteworthy,  of  these,  was  the  organization  of  St. 
John's  Lodge  No.  33,  F.  &  A.  M.,  which  was  chartered  by  the  Grand 
lodge  February  20,  1803,  as  No.  90.  Upon  the  reorganization  of  Ma- 
sonry in  this  State  in  1839  after  the  great  anti-Masonic  agitation,  the 
lodge  was  given  the  number  23.  June  2,  1803,  the  lodge  was  duly  in- 
stituted and  the  following  officers  elected  and  installed :  John  St.  John, 
W.  M.;  Jeremy  Rockwell,  S.  W.;  Potter  Johnson,  J.  W. ;  Joseph 
Blackleach,  secretary;  James  Vail,  treasurer;  Benjamin  Worden,  S.  D. ; 
Daniel  Hicks,  J.  D. ;  Frederick  Weed  and  Asa  Chatfield,  stewards. 
Front  the  time  of  its  organization  until  1870  the  lodge  continued  to 
meet  at  Porter's  Corners,  but  in  that  year  the  headquarters  were 
changed  to  Greenfield  Centre,  where  about  $3,600  were  spent  in  pur- 
chasing and  refitting  the  Ingerson  store  at  that  place.  The  masters  of 
St.  John's  lodge  from  its  institution  up  to  the  present  time  and  the 
year  of  their  election  have  been : 

1803,  John  St.  John;  1803,  Jeremy  Rockwell;  1804,  Asahel  Porter;  1806,  Oliver  C. 
Comstock;  1807,  Daniel  Hicks;  1808,  John  St.  John;  1809,  Lewis  Scott;  1811.  Abner 
Medbery:  1812,  Joseph  Blackleach;  1813,  Nathan  Medbery;  1814  Lewis  Scott;  1815, 
Nathan  Medbery;  1818,  Simeon  Gray;  1819,  Nathan  Medbery;  1822,  George  Sax; 
1824,  Rensselaer  Sax;  1828,  Hiram  Medbery;  1830,  Rensselaer  Sax;  1882,  John  E. 
Harris;  1834,  George  Riddell;  1836,  William  Burnham;  1837,  George  Riddell;  1838, 
Rensselaer  Sax;  1842,  John  Gifford;  1844,  John  S.  Weed;  1847,  Daniel  Wing; 
1848,  John  S.  Weed;  1849,  John  Gi£ford;  1853,  Daniel  Wing;  1854,  John 
Gifford;  1857,  John  S.  Weed;  1860,  Morgan  H.  Chrysler;  1861,  Truman  E. 
Parkman;  1863,  lanthus  G.  Johnson;  1864,  Gideon  W.  Scofield;  1875,  Edward  A. 
Rood;  1876,  Gideon  W.  Scofield;  1877,  Albert  G.  Wing;  1887,  Charles  W.  Spaulding; 
1888,  lanthus  G.  Johnson;  1889,  Albert  G.  Wing;  1892.  Clifford  E.  Cady;  1893, 
Arthur  W  Johnson ;  1894,  Clarence  E.  Latham ;  1895-1897,  Charles  B.  Mallory. 

February  7,  1805,  a  mark  lodge  was  chartered  there,  in  connection 
with  St.  John's  lodge,  and  called  "St.  John's  Lodge,  Mark  Master 
Masons,  No.  36,"  with  John  St.  John  as  master,  Asahel  Porter  as 
senior  warden  and  Beroth  BuUard  as  junior  warden.  This  lodge  con- 
tinued until  February  3,  1835,  when  St.  John's  Chapter  No.  103,  R.  A. 
M.,  was  chartered,  with  these  officers:  High  Priest,  Elihu  Wing; 
king,  Lewis  Scott ;  scribe,  Abner  Medbery.  The  high  priests  of  St. 
John's  Chapter  since  its  organization  have  been : 

1827,  Lewis  Scott;  1828,  Rensselaer  Sax ;  1829,  Woodruff  Gibbs;  1830-1833,  Rens- 
selaer Sax ;  1834-1835,  William  Burnham ;  1836-1842,  Rensselaer  Sax ;  1843,  John  S. 


GREENFIELD— DAY,  1800-1831.  157 

Weed;  1844,  Rensselaer  Sax ;  1845-1848,  John  S.  Weed;  1849,  John  Gifford;  1850- 
1853,  John  S.  Weed;  1854,  Samuel  Eddy;  1855,  Daniel  Wing;  1856,  John  E.  Com- 
stoct;  1857,  Matthew  Owen;  1858,  John  S.  Weed;  1859,  John  Gifford;  1860,  William 
L.  Putnam;  1861,  Daniel  Wing;  186a--1863,  Truman  E.  Parkman;  1864,  Alonzo 
Russel;  1865,  Truman  E.  Parkman;  1866-1871,  lanthus  G.  Johnson;  1872,  Truman  E. 
Parkman;  1873-1875,  lanthus  G.  Johnson;  1876-1888,  Elihu  Wing;  1889,  Albert  G. 
Wing;  1890-1898,  Elihu  Wing;  1894^1898,  William  H.  Harris. 

At  the  organization  of  St.  John's  Chapter  there  were  eighty  three 
chapters  in  this  State,  and  the  total  number  in  the  State  now  working 
is  one  hundred  and  eighty-eight.' 

In  April,  1809,  several  of  the  representative  citizens  of  the  town  met 
and  organized  the  Greenfield  Temperance  Society  by  electing  Rev. 
Elias  Gilbert  president  and  secretary,  and  Howell  Gardiner,  Salmon 
Child  and  Jonathan  Wood  an  executive  committee.  In  1839  it  was  re- 
organized on  total  abstinence  principles. 

The  third  event  in  mind  was  the  organization  of  the  Universalist 
church  of  Porter's  Corners.  The  church  edifice  was  constructed  in 
1816,  but  the  society  was  not  organized  until  1819.  It  was  called  the 
First  Universalist  Church  and  Society  of  Greenfield.  The  first  board 
of  trustees  was  composed  of  Frederick  Parkman,  Abner  Medbery  and 
John  W.  Creal.     Rev.  Hosea  Parsons  was  the  first  pastor. 

For  many  years  after  its  settlement  the  principal  industry  in  the  town 
of  Day  was  the  development  of  the  lumber  interests.  One  of  the  most 
noted  lumbermen  there  was  Eliphaz  Day,"  after  whom  the  town  was 
named.  His  business  furnished  employment  to  a  number  of  men.  In 
1804  Thomas  Yates,  an  Englishman,  came  from  Schenectady  and  taught 
school  during  the  winter  of  1804-5.  Sanders's  mill,  on  Daly's  creek, 
was  built  about  1808.  In  the  fall  of  1835  a  dam  was  built  across  the 
Sacanadaga  at  the  mouth  of  Bell  brook,  and  a  saw  mill  was  built  there. 
It  was  owned  by  Eliphaz  Day,  Abner  Wait  and  John  Johnson.  The 
dam  was  torn  out  in  1828  and  the  mill  was  movfed  further  down  the 
stream,  into  the  town  of  Hadley.  Rev.  Dr.  Wellman,  a  Methodist 
minister,  preached  at  the  house  of  Daniel  Hines  as  early  as  1807,  but 
no  church  was  organized  for  many  years.  A  Baptist  society  was  or- 
ganized in  1813  by  Elder  Simmonds,  who,  with  Daniel  Corey,  preached 

'  The  author  is  indebted  to  lanthus  G.  Johnson,  M.  D.,  of  Greenfield  Centre,  tor  this  complete 
history  of  St.  John's  lodge  and  St.  John's  Chapter. 

'Eliphaz  T>a.y  partially  cleared  thousands  of  acres  along  the  Sacanadaga,  floating  the  logs 
down  that  river  and  the  Hudson  to  market.  April  19, 182?,  he  was  drowned  while  passing  through 
the  "  horse  race  "  at  Conklingville  in  a  row  boat.  The  name  of  the  town  was  changed  from  Con- 
cord to  Day,  in  his  honor,  a  short  time  after  his  death. 


158  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

at  private  houses  for  several  years.  No  church  was  ever  built,  and  the 
society  finally  became  extinct. 

Nothing  is  known  of  any  industries  of  importance,  excepting  agri- 
culture, which  existed  in  Wilton  in  this  early  period.  Most  of  the 
inhabitants  were  farmers,  and  that  they  were  God-fearing  men  and 
women  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  churches  were  organized  while  the 
population  of  the  town  was  yet  quite  small.  Probably  as  early  as 
1805  a  meeting-house  was  erected  at  Emerson's  Corners,  and  here 
Rev.  Lebbeus  Armstrong,  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  of  Mo- 
reau,  used  to  preach.  The  church  was  opened  to  all  denominations. 
About  1815  the  Baptist  church  of  Wilton  was  organized,  and  some  of 
the  early  preachers  were  Elders  Blakeman,  Fletcher  and  Carr.  A  brick 
church  was  built  in  1854,  but  the  society  has  been  extinct  since  1874. 
The  Methodist  church  was  also  organized  during  this  period,  but  little 
can  be  learned  of  its  history. 

Agriculture  has  been  the  principal  occupation  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Clifton  Park  since  the  settlement  of  the  town,  and  the  manufacturing 
industries,  as  a  rule,  have  been  small.  The  history  of  the  town  is  little 
more  than  the  plain  story  of  the  development  of  farm  lands,  the  estab- 
lishment of  schools  and  churches  and  such  other  features  as  are  com- 
mon to  other  rural  communities.  Of  the  first  schools,  however,  the 
records  fail  to  tell  anything  very  definite.  Among  the  early  business 
enterprises,  we  learn  that  in  the  year  1800  an  ashery,  a  distillery  and  a 
general  store  were  established  in  Amity,  and  operated  by  Benjamin 
Mix.  At  Rexford's  Flats  the  year  1818  marked  the  construction  of  the 
first  bridge.  Upon  the  opening  of  the  Erie  canal  other  stores  were 
opened  to  accommodate  the  increasing  population.  Among  them  were 
that  of  Isaac  Howard,  who  was  succeeded  by  Curtiss  &  Wakeman.  Lack 
of  water  power  prevented  the  building  of  mills,  as  a  rule. 

The  first  church  in  the  town  was  the  Baptist  church,  referred  to  in  a 
preceding  chapter,  which  was  organized  in  1795.  The  second  society 
formed  was  the  Reformed  church  of  Amity,  which  was  organized  in 
1803  as  the  "  Reformed  Protestant  Dutch  church  of  Amity."  The  first 
elders  were  Jacobus  Van  Vranken  and  John  Miller,  and  the  first  dea- 
cons were  Daniel  F.  Fort  and  Evert  Van  Vranken.  The  first  house  of 
worship  was  erected  in  1803,  with  Rev.  Mr.  Hardenburg  as  the  first 
pastor.  In  1805  the  churches  of  Amity  and  Niskayuna  engaged  Rev. 
Thomas  Romeyn  as  pastor,  building  a  joint  parsonage  at  Amity.     Mr. 


THE  CANALS.  159 

Romeyn's  ministry  extended  over  a  period  of  twenty-one  years.'  The 
Methodist  church  at  Groom's  Corners  was  one  of  the  first  of  that  de- 
nomination founded  north  of  the  Mohawk  river.  The  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  at  Jonesville  was  built  in  1835.  The  society  formed  a 
part  of  a  circuit  comprising  Half  moon,  Clifton  Park  and  Gal  way."  The 
M.  E.  church  at  Clifton  Park  village  was  formed  about  1830.  Services 
were  suspended  for  a  while,  but  preaching  was  again  begun  in  1842  by 
Rev.  Henry  Williams,  and  a  house  of  worship  built  at  an  expense  of 
$1,200. 

Little  can  be  said  of  the  town  of  Providence  in  these  days.  The 
principal  fact  of  historical  interest  appears  to  have  been  the  building 
of  the  old  Quaker  meeting-house  in  1815,  to  take  the  place  of  the 
original  edifice,  which  had  been  abandoned.  The  chief  and  almost 
sole  occupation  of  the  inhabitants  has  always  been  farming. 

THE  GREAT  WATERWAYS. 

By  far  the  most  important  enterprises  undertaken  in  Saratoga  county 
during  this  period — and  the  most  important  in  the  State  of  New  York, 
from  a  commercial  standpoint — were  the  construction  of  the  great  Erie 
and  the  Champlain  canals.  It  was  Governor  George  Clinton  who  first 
officially  proposed,  in  1792,  that  canals  be  constructed  between  the 
Hudson  and  Lake  Ontario  and  the  Hudson  and  Lake  Champlain. 
Upon  his  recommendation  legislative  acts  were  passed  organizing  two 
canal  companies — the  Northern  Inland  Navigation  Company  and  the 
Western  Inland  Lock  Navigation  Company.  These  companies  were 
authorized  to  improve  the  navigation  of  the  Hudson  and  Mohawk 
rivers,  and  to  form  connections  between  the  upper  waters  of  the  Mo- 
hawk river,  and  Oneida  and  Ontario  lakes,  as  well  as  between  the 
Hudson  river  and  Lake  Champlain.  Such  were  the  first  steps  toward 
a  grand  system  of  canals.  The  disaster  which  overtook  the  first-named 
company  has  been  described  in  a  preceding  chapter.  In  later  years  it 
became  the  general  belief  that  no  enterprise  of  such  magnitude  could 
succeed  without  either  State  aid  or  complete  State  control,  with  the 
public  moneys  back  of  the  project. 

It  is  entirely  uncertain  who  originated  the  first  idea  of  constructing  a  chain  of 
water  communication  through  the  State.     All  of  the  early  efforts  were  directed  to 

'  A  new  church  was  erected  in  1871  and  dedicated  January  18,  1872. 
2  This    society  organized  as  a  separate  church  in  1842.    In  1855  a  new  church  was  built  at  a 
cost  o£  $4,000.    This  was  considerably  repaired  in  1897, 


160  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

efEecting  a  passage  through  the  Mohawk,  Wood  creek,  Oneida  lake  and  Oswego  river 
to  Lake  Ontario.  The  western  connection  was  sought  by  locking  around  Niagara 
Falls.  In  1800  Gouverneur  Morris  first  suggested  the  idea  of  a  direct  canal  from 
Lake  Erie  to  the  Hudson,  through  the  centre  of  the  State.  His  plan  was  to  tap  Lake 
Erie,  and  have  a  continuous  slope  from  the  lake  to  the  high  land  that  borders  upon 
the  Hudson  and  a  series  of  locks  thence  to  the  river.  In  1803  he  stated  the  outline 
of  his  plan  to  the  Surveyor-General,  Simeon  De  Witt,  who  looked  upon  it  as  chimer- 
ical. The  next  year  Mr.  De  Witt,  in  a  conversation  with  James  Geddes,  then  a  land 
surveyor  of  Onondaga  county,  stated  the  plan  of  Mr.  Morris  as  one  of  the  impracti- 
cable schemes  which  had  been  advanced.  Mr.  Geddes,  however,  looked  at  the  mat- 
ter in  a  different  light,  and,  after  some  little  reflection,  he  concluded  that  the  plan, 
with  some  modifications,  was  by  far  the  best  that  had  yet  been  suggested.  He 
counseled  with  Jesse  Hawley  upon  the  subject  and  the  latter,  convinced  of  the  feasi- 
bility of  the  project,  wrote  a  series  of  papers  which  were  published  in  the  Genesee 
Messenger  from  October,  1807,  to  March,  1808.  These  essays  were  signed  "  Her- 
cules," and  were  the  first  ever  printed  in  favor  of  the  Erie  canal.  In  1808,  Joshua 
Forman,  then  a  member  of  the  Assembly,  introduced  a  resolution  for  the  survey  of 
a  canal  route,  to  the  end  that  Congress  might  be  led  to  grant  moneys  for  the  con- 
struction of  a  canal.  The  sum  of  |600  was  granted  for  the  surveys  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Surveyor-General.  James  Geddes  was  intrusted  with  this  service,  and 
was  directed  to  level  down  from  Oneida  lake  to  the  mouth  of  Salmon  creek,  to  ascer- 
tain whether  a  canal  could  be  opened  from  Oswego  Falls  to  Lake  Ontario  and  to 
survey  the  best  route  for  a  canal  around  Niagara  Falls.  He  was  also  directed  to 
survey  a  route  eastward  from  Lake  Erie  to  Genesee  River,  and  thence  to  the  waters 
flowing  east  into  Seneca  Lake.  He  finished  this  work  and  made  a  report  showing 
the  practicability  of  the  last-named  route  and  its  great  superiority  over  the  others 
which  had  been  proposed.  This  report  at  once  excited  general  attention,  and  se- 
cured the  influence  of  De  Witt  Clinton,  then  a  member  of  the  Senate,  and  many  other 
prominent  men.  In  1810,  commissioners,  at  the  head  of  whom  was  De  Witt  Clinton, 
were  appointed  to  explore  a  canal  route  through  the  centre  of  the  State.  On  the  8th 
of  April,  1811,  an  act  was  passed  to  provide  for  the  improvement  of  the  internal 
navigation  of  the  State,  and  efforts  were  made  to  obtain  aid  from  the  General  Gov- 
ernment, but  without  success.  The  report  of  the  commissioners  stated  the  impor- 
tance of  this  measure  with  such  force  and  eloquence  that  a  law  was  passed  the  next 
year  continuing  the  commissioners,  and  authorizing  them  to  borrow  and  deposit 
money,  and  take  cessions  of  land,  for  the  proposed  canal,  but  the  war  suspended 
active  operations.  The  project,  however,  continued  to  be  discussed,  and  an  act  was 
passed  on  the  17th  of  April,  1816,  providing  for  a  definite  survey.  The  canal  was 
begun  at  Rome,  July  4,  1817,  and  on  the  33d  of  October,  1819,  the  first  boat  passed 
from  Utica  to  Rome. 

The  completion  of  the  canal  was  celebrated  by  extraordinary  civic  and  military 
ceremonies  throughout  the  State,  and  especially  in  New  York  city,  on  the  4th  of 
November  1835.  As  the  first  boat,  with  Governor  Clinton  on  board,  entered  the 
canal  at  Buffalo,  at  10  o'clock,  (October  36,)  a  line  of  cannon,  previously  arranged  a 
few  miles  apart,  passed  a  signal  along  to  Albany,  and  down  the  Hudson  to  Sandy 
Hook,  from  whence  it  was  returned  in  a  like  manner.  The  signal  was  heard  at  New 
York,  at  11.30.     The  flotilla  with  the  Governor  was  everywhere  greeted  with  en- 


THE  CANALS.  161 

thusiastic  rejoicing.  Upon  reaching  New  York  it  passed  down  to  Sandy  Hook,  and 
the  waters  of  the  lake  were  mingled  with  those  of  the  ocean  with  imposing  cere- 
monies. 

The  canal  commissioners  under  whom  the  Erie  and  Champlain  canals  were  con- 
structed, were  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer,  De  Witt  Clinton,  Joseph  Ellicott,  Samuel 
Young  and  Myron  Holley.  Henry  Seymonr  was  appointed  in  place  of  Ellicott  in 
March,  1819,  and  William  C.  Bouck  was  added  to  the  number  in  March,  1821.  The 
chief  engineers  were  James  Geddes,  of  Onondaga  county,  and  Benjamin  Wright, 
of  Rome,  neither  of  whom  had  ever  seen  a  canal,  or  enjoyed  means  of  acquiring  a 
practical  knowledge  of  engineering  other  than  that  obtained  from  surveying  land. 
The  precision  with  which  their  canal  surveys  were  executed,  under  the  circum- 
stances, may  be  regarded  as  truly  wonderful.     Among  the  assistant  engineers  were 

Peacock,  David  Thomas,  Nathan  S.  Roberts,  David  S.  Bates,  Canvass  White, 

Davis  Hurd,  Noah  Dennis,  Charles  T.  Whippo,  William  Jerome,  Henry  G.  Sargent, 
Frederick  C.  Mills,  Isaac  J.  Thomas,  Henry  Farnam,  Alfred  Barrett,  John  Bates, 
William  H.  Price,  John  Hopkins  and  Seymour  SkiflE.' 

The  canal  was  completed  October  26,  1835.  As  first  constructed,  it 
was  three  hundred  and  sixty-three  miles  long,  twenty-eight  feet  wide 
at  the  bottom,  forty  feet  wide  at  the  top,  and  four  feet  deep.  The 
locks  were  ninety  feet  long  between  the  gates  and  fifteen  feet  wide. 
The  original  cost  was  $7,143,789.86.  The  canal  crosses  the  Mohawk 
river  from  Schenectady  county  at  Rexford's  Flats,  in  the  town  of  Clif- 
ton Park,  by  means  of  an  aqueduct.  Thence  it  traverses  the  extreme 
southern  parts  of  the  towns  of  Clifton  Park  and  Halfmoon,  following 
the  northern  bank  of  the  Mohawk  as  closely  as  practicable,  recrossing 
that  river  into  Albany  county  at  Crescent.  At  the  aqueduct  at  Rex- 
ford's Flats,  twenty-six  miles  distant  from  Albany  via  the  canal,  and 
three  hundred  and  twenty-six  miles  from  Baffalo,  the  canal  is  about 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The 
canal  was  first  enlarged  in  pursuance  of  a  law  passed  May  11,  1835,  and 
the  work  of  improvement  has  been  carried  on  steadily,  with  rare  excep- 
tions, ever  since.  In  1895  the  voters  of  the  State  appropriated,  at  the 
general  election,  the  sum  of  $9,000,000  to  pay  for  further  improve- 
ments, including  the  deepening  of  the  canal  to  a  uniform  depth  of  nine 
feet,  but  the  appropriation  was  found  insufficient  after  the  most  of  the 
money  had  been  expended. 

The  Champlain  canal  follows  the  Hudson  river  along  its  west  bank, 
or  as  near  thereto  as  practicable,  through  the  towns  of  Waterford, 
Halfmoon,  Stillwater  and  Saratoga,  crossing  the  Hudson  into  Wash- 
ington county  about  three-fouirths  of  a  mile  north    of  the  southern 

>  Historical  and  Statistical  Gazetteer  of  New  Yorli  State.    By  J.  H.  French.    1860. 
11 


163  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

boundary  of  the  town  of  Northumberland.  It  passes,  in  Saratoga 
county,  through  the  villages  of  Waterford,  fifty-five  feet  above  sea 
level ;  Mechanicville,  Stillwater,  Wilbur's  Basin,  Coveville  and  Schuy- 
lerville,  one  hundred  feet  above  sea  level,  a  total  distance  of  twenty- 
six  miles.  The  entire  length  of  the  canal  from  Albany  to  Whitehall  is 
seventy-one  miles.  The  highest  point  is  at  the  Glens  Falls  feeder,  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  sea  level. 

The  work  of  constructing  the  Champlain  canal  was  inaugurated  June 
10,  1818,  less  than  a  year  after  the  beginning  of  work  upon  the  Erie 
canal.  It  was  finished  as  far  as  Waterford  November  28,  1823,  and 
totally  completed  September  10,  1823.  The  original  cost  was  $875,000, 
exclusive  of  the  Glens  Falls  feeder.  The  canal  was  built  of  the  same 
dimensions  as  the  Erie,  and  has  been  greatly  improved  from  time  to 
time;  but  the  expenditures  of  public  money  therefor  have  not  been  so 
great  as  for  the  improvement  of  the  Erie  canal.  When  the  canal  was 
first  opened,  slackwater  navigation  upon  the  Hudson  was  used  eight 
miles  above  and  three  miles  below  Fort  Miller,  with  a  short  canal  and 
two  locks  around  the  falls  at  that  place.  The  use  of  the  channel  of  the 
Hudson  is  now  entirely  superseded  by  a  canal  along  its  bank,  built  in 
1827-28.  This  portion  of  the  old  canal  was  fed  from  the  Hudson  by 
means  of  a  high  and  costly  dam  near  Fort  Edward ;  but  this  dam  has 
given  place  to  a  feeder  to  a  point  above  Glens  Falls,  which  enters  the 
canal  at  the  summit  level,  one  and  a  half  miles  northeast  of  Fort  Ed- 
ward. In  1859-60  the  locks  were  enlarged  to  a  capacity  15^  by  100 
feet. 

SEMI-CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATIONS. 

The  semi-centennial  anniversary  of  the  declaration  of  American  in- 
dependence was  celebrated  July  4,  1826,  by  imposing  and  elaborate  cere- 
monials at  Ballston  Spa  and  Schuylerville.  At  the  former  place  there 
was  a  gorgeous  parade,  the  principal  feature  of  which  was  a  float  or 
car  forty-two  feet  long  and  fourteen  feet  wide,  called  the  Temple  of 
Industry.  This  was  intended  to  exhibit  the  industrial  development  of 
the  country  during  the  first  half  century  of  the  nation.  This  car  was 
drawn  by  thirteen  yoke  of  oxen,  representing  the  thirteen  original 
States.  Upon  it  were  thirteen  representatives  of  an  equal  number  of 
the  mechanical  arts,  each  plying  his  vocation.  While  this  parade  was 
moving  William  Van  Ness,  representing  the  shoemaker's  craft,  made  a 
pair  of  shoes  for  the  president  of  the  day,  Hon.  Samuel  Young,  then 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATIONS.  163 

speaker  of  the  State  Assembly.  Another  feature  of  the  procession  was 
a  company  of  thirty-seven  veterans  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  Of  this 
band,  Jeremiah  Pierson  held  aloft  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  Lemuel  Wil- 
cox carried  a  standard  inscribed  "  Declaration  of  Independence,"  and 
John  Whitehead  bore  another  standard  inscribed  "  Constitution  of  the 
United  States. "  A  corps  of  Union  Cadets,  composed  of  two  uniformed 
and  well  drilled  companies  of  students  of  Union  college,  was  under 
command  of  Major  Holland,  a  veteran  of  the  war  of  1813  and  register 
of  the  college.  The  two  companies  comprising  this  corps  were  com- 
manded respectively  by  Captain  Knox  and  Captain  Jackson. 

After  the  parade  services  were  held  at  the  Baptist  church  at  the  head 
of  Front  street,  on  Milton  avenue,  Hon.  Samuel  Young  presiding. 
Rev.  Dr.  Eliphalet  Nott,  president  of  Union  College,  opened  the  pro- 
ceedings with  prayer,  after  which  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was 
read  by  Anson  Brown,'  a  young  attorney  of  Ballston  Spa.  Hon.  John 
W.  Taylor,  then  speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  followed 
with  an  eloquent  oration,  closing  with  remarks  addressed  personally  to 
the  assembled  body  of  Revolutionary  veterans,  who  arose  in  a  body. 

At  the  close  of  these  services  the  participants  divided  into  two  par- 
ties and  were  banqueted  at  the  principal  village  hotels.  The  Union 
Cadets  feasted  at  the  Sans  Souci  hotel,  while  the  toasts  of  the  day  were 
offered  at  the  Village  hotel.  One  of  the  toasts  proposed  on  this  occa- 
sion was  as  follows: 

"  John  Adams,  Thomas  Jefferson  and  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton, 
the  surviving  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  As  the 
measure  of  their  days,  so  is  that  of  their  fame, — overflowing." 

It  is  a  peculiar  coincidence — though  unknown  at  the  time  by  those 
who  were  enjoying  the  celebration  and  offering  this  toast  to  three  of 
the  nation's  heroes — that  while  the  festivities  of  the  day  were  in  prog- 
ress, and  but  a  short  time  before  this  sentence  had  been  uttered,  both 
the  illustrious  Adams  and  Jefferson  had  passed  to  their  eternal  rest. 

The  president  of  the  day  addressed  the  Union  Cadets  in  complimen- 
tary phrases,  to  which  Major  Holland  responded,  proposing  this  toast: 
"  The  county  of  Saratoga — its  hills,  monuments  of  valor;  its  springs, 
resorts  of  fashion;  its  hamlets,  signalized  by  patriots  and  statesmen." 
Two  of  the  alumni  of  Union  college  complimented  their  alma  mater 
and  its  president  by  these  toasts:  By  Thomas  Palmer — "Union  college: 
Crevit,  crescit,  crescat."     By  Anson  Brown — "  The  president  of  Union 

'  He  died  whije  serving  as  a  representative  in  the  36th  Congress. 


164  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

college:  Dignum  laude  virum  musa  vetal  mori."  Edward  Watrous 
proposed  this  emphatic  and  unequivocal  toast:  "  The  Legitimates  of 
Europe:  May  they  be  yoked,  poked,  and  hoppled,  cross-fettered,  tied 
hand  and  foot,  and  turned  out  to  browse  on  the  pine  plains  of  Old 
Saratoga! " 

Lyman  B.  Langworthy,  then  sheriff  of  Saratoga  county,  had  general 
charge  of  this  celebration,  and  the  remainder  of  the  committee  of  ar- 
rangements consisted  of  James  Merrill,  David  Corey,  William  Clark, 
John  Dix,  Jeremiah  Penfield,  Charles  Field,  Alexander  Russell,  Robert 
Bennett,  Roswell  Herrick,  David  F.  White,  George  W.  Fish,  Hiram  Mid- 
dlebrook,  Joseph  Barker,  David  Herrick,  Sylvester  Blood,  Samuel  R. 
Garrett  and  Abraham  Middlebrook. 

The  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  the  American  Republic  was 
also  celebrated  at  Schuylerville  with  appropriate  ceremonies.  Briga- 
dier-General De  Ridder,  a  veteran  of  the  war  of  1812,  was  mounted  at 
the  head  of  a  troop  of  light-horse  and  other  military  companies.  Philip 
Schuyler,  a  grandson  of  General  Philip  Schuyler  of  Revolutionary  fame, 
had  general  charge  of  the  celebration.  On  the  grounds  of  old  Fort 
Hardy  a  number  of  tables  were  set  under  canopies,  to  protect  the  guests 
from  the  rays  of  the  sun,  and  here  the  participants  in  the  celebration 
were  banqueted.  The  oration  was  delivered  in  a  grove  near  at  hand 
by  Rev.  Hooper  Cummings  of  Albany.  A  dozen  or  more  Revolution- 
ary veterans  sat  on  front  seats,  among  them  being  John  Ward,  one  of 
the  body  guard  of  General  Schuyler,  who  was  carried  to  Canada  by  the 
Tory  Waltermeyer,  when  the  latter  attempted  to  abduct  the  general 
from  his  home  in  Albany. 

COUNTY  MEDICAL  SOCIETY. 

The  Saratoga  County  Medical  society  was  organized  at  Ballston  Spa 
in  July,  1806,  by  the  election  of  these  officers: 

President,  Daniel  Bull;  vice-president,  William  Patrick;  secretary,  John  Stearns; 
treasurer,  Samuel  Davis ;  censors,  Elijah  Porter,  Asa  C.  Barney,  Samuel  Pitkin, 
Billy  J.  Clark,  Ephraim  Childs ;  delegate  to  the  New  York  State  Medical  Society, 
John  Stearns. 

Among  the  early  members  of  the  society,  beside  those  mentioned  as 
officers,  were  Drs.  Elisha  Miles,  William  C.  Lawrence,  Thomas  S.  Lit- 
tlefield,  Daniel  Hicks,  Alpheus  Adams,  Jesse  Seymour,  Grant  Powells, 
Isaac  Finch,  Francis  Pixley,  Beroth  Bullard,  John  H.  Steel,  Josiah 
Pulling,  Nathan  Thompson,  Oliver  Brisbin,  Samuel  Freeman,  John  D. 


EARLY  MILITARY  ROLLS.  165 

Bull,  Henry  Reynolds,  William  Tibbetts,  Silas  Wood,,  Abel  Baldwin, 
Darius  Johnson,  George  Burroughs,  Isaac  Youngs  and  Gideon  Thomp- 
son. Since  the  earlier  days  of  the  society  its  members  have  included 
practically  all  the  prominent  physicians  in  Saratoga  county. 

COUNTY  BIBLE  SOCIETY. 

The  Saratoga  County  Bible  society  was  organized  August  34,  1815, 
nearly  a  year  before  the  formation  of  the  American  Bible  society,  and 
only  seven  years  later  than  the  formation  of  the  Philadelphia  Bible  so- 
ciety, the  first  organized  in  this  country.  At  the  first  meeting,  held  at 
Ballston  Spa,  Rev.  Samuel  Blatchford,  D.D.,  was  chosen  chairman, 
and  Rev.  Gilbert  McMaster  clerk.  Sixty-eight  persons  subscribed  to  the 
constitution  on  the  day  of  organization,  aud  they  elected  these  officers: 

President,  Rev.  Samuel  Blatchford,  D.  D. ;  vice-presidents,  Rev.  Dirck  C.  Lansing, 
Rev.  James  Mairs;  corresponding  secretary.  Rev.  Gilbert  McMasters;  recording 
secretary,  Rev.  Reuben  Sears;  treasurer,  Elisha  Powell;  managers,  Salmon  Child, 
Greenfield;  Parker  Adams,  Waterford;  Isaac  B.  Payne,  Northumberland;  John 
Taylor,  Charlton;  Ezra  Nash,  Milton;  George  Palmer,  Stillwater;  John  W.  Taylor, 
Ballston;  John  Dunning,  Malta;  Amos  Hawley,  Moreau;  Jeremy  Rockwell,  Hadley; 
William  Foster,  Galway;  Rev.  Abijah  Peck,  Half  moon;  James  Brisbin,  jr.,  Saratoga; 
Guert  Van  Schoonhoven,  Waterford. 

This  society,  during  its  career,  has  numbered  among  its  active 
workers  some  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  Saratoga  county.  Among 
its  presidents  have  been  Chancellor  Reuben  H.  Walworth,  Hon.  John 
C.  House,  Hon.  Roscius  R.  Kennedy,  Lebbeus  Booth,  Hon.  James  B. 
McKean,  Prof.  Hiram  A.  Wilson,  Hon.  C.  S.  Lester,  Hon.  Abraham 
Marshall  and  others.  Its  members  residing  in  various  communities 
have  organized  town  or  village  societies.  The  Ballston  auxiliary  was 
organized  in  the  fall  of  1815  by  Hon.  John  W.  Taylor  and  others.  The 
Northumberland  society  was  organized  in  1831. 

THE  EARLY  MILITARY  ROLLS. 

Unfortunately  for  the  present  generation,  the  early  State  and  county 
records,  like  the  colonial  records,  were  not  preserved  with  the  care  and 
accuracy  which  characterize  the  work  of  public  officers  of  the  present 
day.  Doubtless  there  was,  at  some  time,  a  tolerably  complete  record 
of  the  military  forces  of  Saratoga  county  during  the  early  days;  but  if 
so,  many  of  these  valuable  papers  have  been  either  lost  or  destroyed. 
Prior  to  the  year  1804  few  records  were  maintained.     Those  covering 


166  OtJR  COUNTY  AND  iTS  PEOPLE. 

the  period  from  1812  to  1830,  including  the  second  war  with  Great 
Britain,  are  for  the  most  part  entirely  missing.  The  names  which  are 
given  here  have  been  taken  from  the  records  in  the  office  of  the  adju- 
tant-general at  Albany,  and  though  incomplete,  are  official,  as  far  as 
they  go.  Probably  no  person  would  have  the  patience  to  make  the 
practically  endless  research  which  would  be  entailed  were  the  individual 
family  records  of  the  county  to  be  studied ;  and  even  should  such  re- 
search be  instituted  the  result  would  not  be  official,  and  far  from  sat- 
isfactory. Furthermore  it  is  a  question  for  debate  whether  such  in- 
formation would  be  sought  for  with  eagerness  sufficient  to  reward  the 
person  undertaking  such  a  gigantic — perhaps  lifelong — task. 

In  the  Revolutionary  period  we  have  a  partial  record  of  two  "regi- 
ments " — called  so  by  compliment — organized  by  inhabitants  of  Saratoga 
county.  The  first  of  these  was  known  as  the  Twelfth  Regiment  of  the 
New  York  State  Militia.  It  was  organized  in  the  Half  Moon  and  Balls- 
ton  districts,  and  the  commissions  granted  to  the  officers  were  dated 
October  20,  1775 — about  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution.  Of  this 
regiment  the  official  records  show  these  commissioned  officers: 

Colonel,  Jacobus  Van  Schoonhoven ;  lieutenant-colonel,  James  Gordon ;  first  major, 
Ezekiel  Taylor;  second  major,  Andrew  Mitchell;  adjutant,  David  Rumsey;  quarter- 
master, Simeon  Fort. 

The  six  companies  of  which  this  regiment  (more  properly  a  battalion) 
was  formed  were  officered  upon  their  organization  as  follows : 

First  Company. — Captain,  Gerardus  Cluet;  first  lieutenant,  Albert  Van  De  Wer- 
ker;  second  lieutenant,  Robert  Rowland;  ensign,  John  Van  De  Werker. 

Second  Company. — Captain,  Nanning  N.  Visscher;  first  lieutenant,  John  Van 
Vranken ;  second  lieutenant,  Nicholas  Van  Vranken ;  ensign,  Maas  Van  Vranken. 

Third  Company. — Captain,  Jeremiah  Vincent;  first  lieutenant,  Joseph  Pinkney; 
second  lieutenant,  Peter  Ferguson;  ensign,  Elias  Van  Steenburgh.. 

Fourth  Company. — Captain,  Joshua  Losee ;  first  lieutenant,  Thomas  Hicks ;  sec- 
ond lieutenant,  Cornelius  Villing;  ensign,  Oliver  Wait. 

fifth  Company. — Captain,  Tyrannus  Collins;  first  lieutenant,  William  McCrea; 
second  lieutenant,  Benjamin  Wood ;  ensign,  David  Clark. 

Sixth  Company. — Captain,  Stephen  White;  first  lieutenant,  Thomas  Brown ;  sec- 
ond lieutenant,  Epenetus  White ;  ensign,  Nathan  Raymond. 

This  regiment  and  the  Thirteenth  Regiment  of  the  New  York  State 
Militia,  whose  officers  were  commissioned  the  same  day,  rallied  to  the 
defense  of  the  country  and  did  valiant  service  in  the  fight  for  independ- 
ence. The  Thirteenth  Regiment  was  organized  among  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Saratoga  district,  and  was  comprised  of  seven  companies.  The 
first  officers  were  as  follows : 


EARLY  MILITARY  ROLLS.  167 

Field  and  Staff. — Colonel,  John  McCrea;  lieutenant-colonel,  Cornelius  Van 
Veghten;  first  major,  Daniel  Dickinson;  second  major,  Jacob  Van  Schaick;  adjutant, 
Archibald  McNiel ;  quartermaster,  John  Vernor. 

First  Company. — Captain,  Peter  Van  Woert;  first  lieutenant,  James  Storns;  sec- 
ond lieutenant,  Jonathan  Dunham;  ensign,  Gerrit  Van  Buren. 

Second  Company. — Captain,  John  Thompson ;  first  lieutenant,  Josiah  Benjamin ; 
second  lieutenant,  John  Hunter;  ensign,  Joseph  Row. 

Third  Company. — Captain,  Henry  O'Hara;  first  lieutenant,  Benjamin  Giles;  sec- 
ond lieutenant,  Jonathan  Pettit;  ensign,  James  Pettit. 

Fourth  Company. — Captain,  Ephraim  Woodward;  first  lieutenant,  Thomas  Bal- 
lard ;  second  lieutenant,  Holturn  Dunham ;  ensign,  Abe  Belknap. 

Fifth  Company. — Captain,  Ephraim  Lake;  first  lieutenant,  Samuel  Sheldon;  sec- 
ond lieutenant,  Jabez  Gage ;  ensign,  Benajah  Sheldon. 

Sixth  Company. — Captain,  Joseph  Palmer;  first  lieutenant,  John  Davis;  second 
lieutenant,  Hezekiah  Dunham ;  ensign,  Alpheus  Davis. 

Seventh  Company. — Captain,  David  Jones;  first  lieutenant,  Samuel  Perry;  second 
lieutenant,  Peter  Winne ;  ensign,  Elisha  Bentley. 

This  practically  completes  the  official  knowledge  of  the  militia  of 
Saratoga  county  during  the  Revolutionary  war.  There  is  no  official 
record  of  promotions,  though,  as  we  have  seen  in  earlier  chapters, 
some  of  these  officers  were  promoted  from  time  to  time.  Then,  too, 
we  have  learned  of  a  number  of  inhabitants  who  were  officers  in  the 
patriot  army  during  the  Revolution,  whose  names  do  not  appear  in 
this  official  list. 

Below  are  given  the  names  of  the  principal  officers  of  the  militia, 
with  the  years  of  their  commissions,  as  far  as  can  be  learned,  from 
1803  to  the  opening  of  the  war  of  1813: 

Ninth  Brigade. 

Field  and  Staff.— 180S,  Asahel  Porter,  brigade  inspector;  1804,  Samuel  Clark, 
brigadier  general;  1808,  David  Rogers,  brigade  major;  1809,  Daniel  L.  Van  Ant- 
werp, brigade  quartermaster;  1810,  Daniel  G.  Garnsey,  brigade  major;  1811,  Dudley 
Smith,  brigade  major:  Leonard  H.  Gansevoort,  brigade  quartermaster. 

Captain.— 190B,  Daniel  Rathbun. 

First  Lieutenants. — 1803,  James  Garnsey;  1804,  Joseph  Hanchdt. 

Second  Lieutenants.— y^B,  Joseph  Hanchet,  jr.,  1804,  Ebenezer  Couch. 

The  Ninth  Brigade,  which  was  composed  of  inhabitants  of  Saratoga 
county,  consisted  of  six  regiments — the  Twenty-Fourth,  the  Thirty- 
Second,  the  Forty-First,  the  Fifty- Ninth,  the  Sixty-Third  and  the  One 
Hundred  and  Forty- Fourth.  The  principal  officers  of  these  regiments, 
and  the  years  in  which  they  were  commissioned,  were  as  follows : 


168 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Forty-Fourth  Regiment. 


Field  and  Staff.— \%')^,'R.es\.come  Potter,  lieutenant-colonel;  Ezra  Kellogg,  first 
major;  Isaac  Gere,  second  major;  Willard  Trowbridge,  adjutant;  Pilgrim  Durkee, 
second  major;  Stephen  Sherman,  first  major;  Stephen  Potter,  surgeon;  1806,  Isaac 
Gere,  lieutenant-colonel;  John  Rhodes,  first  major;  Gershom  Proctor,  second  major; 
1807,  Nathan  Thompson,  surgeon;  1811,  Amos  Cook,  adjutant;  Earl  Stimson,  pay- 
master; 1812,  Isaac  Gere,  lieutenant-colonel;  Charles  Rhodes,  second  major;  Thad- 
deus  Jewett,  paymaster;  John  Rhodes,,  lieutenant-colonel;  Eli  Smith,  first  major; 
Jonathan  Delano,  second  major. 

Captains.— -19.^^,  Eli  Smith,  Daniel  D.  Wolf,  Amasa  Sumner,  Edward  Shipman, 
Eleazer  Smith,  Amos  Smith,  Anson  Fowler;  1805,  Elihu  B.  Smith;  1806,  Oliver 
Edwards,  Peter  Boss,  Jonathan  Smith,  Othniel  Allen;  1807,  Job  Wells;  1808,  Charles 
Rhodes;  1810,  Phineas  Warren,  Jonathan  Delano;  1811,  Samuel  Hawley,  Ely 
Beecher,  James  Carpenter,  James  N.  Smith,  Benjamin  Wright,  Noah  Sweet;  1812, 
Andrew  Comstock,  Michael  Dunning,  Earl  Stimson,  James  N.  Smith,  Paul  Edwards. 
Lieutenants.— \%f)A,,  Barnet  Stillwell,  Joseph  Brewster,  Jonathan  Smith,  Oliver 
Edwards,  Othniel  Allen,  jr..  Job  Wells,  Elihu  B.  Smith,  David  Fortes,  Nathaniel 
Adams;  1805,  Elihu  Dean;  1806,  Charles  Rhodes,  Samuel  Hollister,  Abraham  B. 
Walker,  Miles  Ely,  Thomas  Grimes;  1807,  Michael  Dunning,  John  Blair,  James 
Smith,  John  Salisbury,  William  Randall;  1808,  John  Hamblen,  James  Carpenter, 
Henry  Skinner;  1809,  Jonathan  Delano,  John  Hamilton,  James  Perry,  Samuel 
Hawley;  1810,  James  Perry,  Aaron  Wheeler,  Aaron  Griswold;  1811,  John  Derrick, 
Noah  Sweet,  William  Tripp,  Paul  Edwards,  Andrew  Comstock,  Joseph  Brewster, 
Philo  Dauchy,  Edmund  Hewitt,  jr.;  1812,  John  Brown,  William  Richardson,  jr., 
Henry  Warren,  John  Herrington,  Joshua  Finch. 

Thirty-Second  Regiment. 

Field  and  Staff. — 1803,  Uriah  Gregory,  lieutenant-colonel ;  John  Nash,  first  major ; 
Walter  Patchin,  second  major;  Jonathan  Kellogg,  quartermaster;  1805,  Matthew 
McKinney,  first  major;  Ebenezer  S.  Coon,  second  major;  William  Kingsley,  ad- 
jutant; Jason  Bannister,  surgeon's  mate;  1806,  Ebenezer  S.  Coon,  lieutenant-colonel; 
Eliud  Davis,  first  major ;  Chauncey  Belding,  second  major ;  1807,  Jason  Bannister, 
surgeon;  Eliud  Davis,  lieutenant-colonel;  Chauncey  Belding,  first  major;  David 
Rogers,  second  major;  1808,  Dudley  Smith,  second  major;  Edward  Satterlee,  ad- 
jutant; William  Taylor,  quartermaster;  Eliud  Davis,  lieutenant-colonel;  Chaun- 
cey Belding,  first  major;  Edward  Satterlee,  adjutant;  1809,  William  Hawkins,  jr., 
adjutant:  1810,  David  Rogers,  lieutenant-colonel;  Dudley  Smith,  first  major;  Jacob 
L.  Sherwood,  second  major;  Amos  Smith,  paymaster;  1811,  Jacob  L.  Sherwood, 
first  major,  Zerah  Beach,  jr.,  second  major;  William  H.  Bridges,  adjutant;  1813, 
Zerah  Beach,  jr.,  first  major;  John  Holmes,  jr. ,  second  major;  Samuel  Pitkin,  surgeon. 

Captains. — 1803,  Onesimus  Hubbard,  Jonathan  Hunting,  Chauncey  Belding,  Da- 
vid Rogers;  1805,  Dudley  Smith,  Zerah  Beach,  jr.,  Jacob  L.  Sherwood,  Alexander 
Ferguson ;  1806,  Levi  Benedict,  Samuel  Belding ;  1807,  Ezekiel  Horton ;  1808,  Eze- 
kiel  Horton,  Silas  Foster,  Daniel  Ostrom,  Nathaniel  Jennings;  1811,  Jonathan  Minor, 
Richard  Freeman,  James  Williams,  jr.,  John  Holmes,  jr.,  Isaac  Smith,  jr. ;  1812, 
Sherwood  Leavitt,  Philo  Hurd,  Sylvester  Harmon,  John  Holmes,  William  Ely,  Alex- 


EARLY  MILITARY  ROLLS.  169 

ander  Dunlap,  Andrew  Rich,  David  Gordon,  Stephen  R.  Warren,  James  Smith, 
Isaac  Curtis. 

Lieutenants. — 1803,  Solomon  Rowland,  Lemuel  Wilcox,  Asa  Beach,  Samuel  Bel- 
ding,  Ezekiel  Horton ;  1805,  Joseph  Meach,  Miles  Beach,  Aaron  Angle,  David  Hub- 
bel;  1806,  Reuben  Hollister,  John  Holmes;  1807,  Silas  Foster,  Nathaniel  Gunning, 
Daniel  Ostrom,  John  Holmes,  jr.;  1808,  James  Wilkins,  jr.,  David  Fowler,  Isaac 
Smith,  jr.,  Philo  Hurd,  Sylvester  Harmon;  1809,  Jonathan  Minor;  1810,  David  Gor- 
don, James  Smith,  William  Ely,  Andrew  Ritchie,  Richard  Freeman ;  1811,  Stephen 
R.  Warren,  Alexander  Dunlap,  Benjamin  H.  Burnet,  John  Bell;  1813,  Mansfield 
Barlow,  Samuel  Richards,  John  Ferguson,  Joel  Sherwood,  Isaac  Curtis,  John  L.  Lu- 
ther, Seth  Kirby,  jr.,  Henry  Miller. 

Forty-First  Regiment. 

Field  anal  Staff. — Samuel  Clark,  lieutenant-colonel ;  1804,  Deliverance  Andrews, 
lieutenant-colonel;  John  Dunning,  first  major;  Robert  Hunter,  second  major;  1806, 
Pontius  Hooper,  adjutant;  1807,  Reuben  Smith,  quartermaster;  John  Tuttle,  pay- 
master; 1808,  George  Palmer,  jr.,  adjutant;  1809,  Elijah  W.  Abbott,  adjutant;  Will- 
iam Fellows,  quartermaster ;  1810,  John  Dunning,  lieutenant-colonel ;  Robert  Hunter, 
first  major;  Reuben  Woodworth,  second  major;  John  W.  Patrick,  ad jutant ;  Ephraim 
Child,  surgeon;  Danforth  Shumway,  surgeon's  mate;  Peter  Andrews,  paymaster; 
1811,  Reuben  Woodworth,  first  major;  Lawrence  Hooper,  second  major;  1812,  Law- 
rence Hooper,  first  major;  Coleman  Gates,  second  major. 

Captains. — 1803,  Eusebius  Matthews,  Felix  Fitzsimmons;  1804,  Samuel  Cooper, 
Amos  Hodgman,  Noah  Gates,  Lawrence  Hooper;  1806,  Richard  Dunning,  Dean 
Chase;  1807,  Samuel  Clark,  jr.,  Selah  Horsford,  Joseph  Wilbur;  1808,  Coleman  Gates; 

1810,  David  G.  Keeler,  John  Montgomery,  Daniel  Weeks;  1811,  Patrick  Parks,  Ste- 
phen Valentine,  Peter  Fort,  Edward  Col  well,  John  Wilcox,  David  Benedict;  1812, 
William  Dunning,  John  Weeks,  Noadiah  Moody. 

Lieutenants.  — 1803,  George  Peck,  John  Barber,  Ashbel  Horsford,  Lawrence 
Hooper;  1804,  Daniel  Cole,  John  Montgomery,  Abraham  Lathrop,  Pontius  Hooper; 
1805,  Joseph  Wilbur ;  1806,  Coleman  Gates,  John  Gilbert,  Robert  Montgomery;  1807, 
Daniel  Weeks,  Goodrich  Keeler,  John  Wilcox,  jr.,  Henry  Curtis;  1808,  William  Dun- 
ning; 1810,  William  Strang,  jr  ,  Noadiah  Moody,  Stephen  Valentine,  Zerah  Wilbur; 

1811,  Reuben  Bidwell,  Lewis  Smith,  Robert  Crawford,  Jonas  Olmsted,  William 
Cooper,  Machivel  Andrews ;  1813,  Moses  Landon,  David  Scidmore,  Ira  Betts,  Ger- 
ardus  Downey. 

Sixty-Third  Regiment. 

Field  and  Staff. — Thomas  Rogers,  lieutenant-colonel;  1804,  Abel  Colwell,  adju- 
tant; 1805,  Nicholas  W.  Angle,  adjutant;  Thomas  Littleton,  surgeon;  Billy  J.  Clark, 
surgeon's  mate;  1806,  Nicholas  W.  Angle,  adjutant;  1808,  Jesse  Billing,  quartermas- 
ter; Zerah  Barnes,  paymaster;  1810,  John  M.  Berry,  first  major;  Malcolm  Crofoot, 
second  major;  Daniel  Hicks,  surgeon's  mate;  1811,  Billy  J  Clark,  surgeon;  1812, 
James  Burnham,  second  major;  Henry  Reynolds,  surgeon's  mate ;  Jeremiah  Ter- 
hune,  adjutant. 

Captains  —1803,  Jonah  Mead,  John  Thompson,  Asa  Welsh,  James  Milligan,  Wal- 
ter Hewitt;    1804,  James  Burnham,  Harmanus  Van  Veghten,  Philip  Delano;  1805, 


170  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

David  Tillotson,  Jolin  Pettit;  1806,  Harmon  Gansevoort,  John  S.  Taylor,  Luke  Fen- 
ton,  Ebenezer  Brown;  1808,  Jacob  Dennis,  Thomas  Lang,  Thomas  Reed,  Wm. 
Burnham;  1810,  Seth  Perry;  1811,  Wm.  Ross;  1812,  Selah  Bishop,  Daniel  Finch, 
Daniel  Lindsay,  James  Mott. 

Lieutenants.— W)%,  John  Pettit,  James  Vandewerker,  Thomas  Reed,  Seth  Perry, 
jr. ,  Josiah  St.  John,  John  J.  Taylor ;  1804,  Selah  Bishop,  Walter  Van  Veghten,  Sol- 
omon Dunham,  Ebenezer  Brown ;  1805,  Abel  Caldwell,  Eldad  Garnsey ;  1806,  Wm. 
Harris,  jr.,  Peter  Butler,  Samuel  Ludlum,  Joseph  Rockwell;  1809,  Wm.  Wilcox, 
Wm.  Chub,  Daniel  French,  John  Payne,  Wm.  Smith;  1810,  Dudley  Emerson,  Sam- 
uel Cripton;  1811,  Wm.  Ross,  Samuel  Crippen,  Wm.  Wilcox,  Daniel  Lindsay;  1813, 
Elijah  Dunham,  Wm.  Kings,  David  Patterson,  John  McDowell,  Abraham  Bennett, 
Josiah  Perry,  jr. 

Fifty-Ninth  Regiment. 

Field  and  Staff. — Rufus  Price,  lieutenant-colonel;  1803,  Isaac  Young,  second 
major;  1804,  Asa  C.  Barney,  surgeon;  1805,  Gideon  Goodrich,  lieutenant-colonel; 
John  Prior,  first  major ;  Samuel  Bailey,  second  major ;  Daniel  Hicks,  surgeon's  mate ; 
1806,  Joshua  Swan,  paymaster;  1808,  Howell  Gardner,  adjutant;  Abel  Baldwin, 
surgeon's  mate;  1809,  Isaac  Young,  quartermaster;  1810,  John  Prior,  lieutenant- 
colonel;  Samuel  Bailey,  first  major;  John  Bockes,  second  major;  1813,  Walter 
Hewit,  second  major;  Darius  Johnson,  surgeon's  mate. 

Captains.— ISOd,  Abel  Deuel;  1804,  Eli  Couch;  1805,  Caleb  Bailey,  George  Peck, 
Ezra  Starr,  Wm.  G.  Boss,  Wm.  Waterbury;  1807,  Samuel  Anable;  1809,  Lewis 
Scott,  Asher  Taylor,  Giles  Fitch;  1811,  George  H.  Benham,  Jacob  Kellogg,  John 
Smith,  jr. ;  1813,  Aaron  Hale,  jr.,  Wm.  Scofield,  Joseph  Morehouse,  jr.,  Alsop  Weed. 

Lieutenants.— 1803,  Amos  Smith,  Stephen  Seamans;  1805,  Lewis  Scott,  Isaac 
Darrow,  Aaron  Hale,  jr.,  Wm.  Waterbury;  1806,  Perez  Billings,  Isaac  Van  Austin, 
Wm.  Scofield,  Joseph  Morehouse,  Samuel  Anable ;  1807.  John  Ladue,  John  Billings, 
Barzillai  Richmond;  1808,  George  Eighmy;  1809,  Lotus  Watson,  John  King,  Zacha- 
riah  Curtis,  Isaac  Van  Ostrand,  David  Bockes;  1810,  George  H.  Benham,  John 
Smith,  jr.,  Darius  Wright,  Abner  Medbery;  1811,  Edward  Gilman,  Alsop  Weed, 
Burr  Hendrick;  1812,  Potter  Johnson,  Nathaniel  Ingerson,  Wm.  W.  Deake,  Jona- 
than Kellogg,  Nicholas  Carpenter. 

One  Hundred  and  Fourty-Fourth  Regiment. 

Field  and  Staff.— Hezekmh  Ketchum,  lieutenant-colonel';  1803,  Gerardus  Clute, 
second  major;  Joseph  Ketchum,  adjutant;  1805,  John  Stearns,  surgeon;  Elijah 
Porter,  surgeon's  mate;  1806,  John  Haswell,  adjutant;  Henry  Ten  Broeck,  second 
major;  Henry  Fanning,  paymaster;  1808,  Henry  Fanning,  quartermaster;  Joshua 
Mandeville,  paymaster;  1810,  Henry  Bailey,  second  major;  1811,  Samuel  Stewart, 
second  major;  Nathan  Bailey,  adjutant;  George  W.  Ten  Broeck,  quartermaster; 
Samuel  D.  Lockwood,  paymaster;  Elijah  Porter,  surgeon;  John  Haight,  surgeon's 
mate ;  1812,  Samuel  G.  Huntington,  second  major ;  Wm.  McDonald,  paymaster. 

Captains.— 180Z,  Samuel  Stewart,  Benjamin  Mix,  Jacobus  Rosecrans,  John  Mow, 
Christian  Sackrider;  1805,  Joseph  Peck,  Nathan  Garnsey;  1806,  Joseph  Ketchum' 
Wm.  Comstock,  Adam  I.  Van  Vranken,  Samual  Weldon;  1809,  Cornelius  C.  Van 
Santford ;  1810,  Andrew  Emigh ;  1811,  Nathan  Bailey,  Joshua  Mandeville,  Samuel 


EARLY  MILITARY  ROLLS.  171 

Demarest,   Wm.  Neff,  jr.,  Jonathan  Irish,  Ephraim  Knowlton;  1812,  Anthony  S. 
Badgely,  Andrew  Frasier. 

Lieutenants. — 1803,  James  Weldon.  Joseph  Peck,  Peter  Davis,  Jason  Gillespie; 
1805,  Samuel  Demarest,  Andrew  Emigh,  John  Cramer,  Gideon  G.  DegrafE,  John 
Barnes;  1806,  Benjamin  Hicks,  Wm.  Neff,  David  Garnsey,  Ephraim  Knowlton, 
Jonathan  Irish;  1808,  Francis  Drake,  Cornelius  C.  Van  Santford;  1809,  Jacob 
Pudney;  1810,  Anthony  S.  Badgely;  1811,  Felix  Tracy,  Asahel  Philo,  Tertullus 
Frost,  John  Nestle,  Garret  J.  Van  Vranken,  Smith  Irish,  Frederick  Clements;  1813, 
Laurence  Travers,  Benjamin  Chamberlain,  John  Stewart,  Silas  Sweetland,  David 
Ashe,  Wm.  Gates. 

Cavalry. 

The  only  cavalry  organization  in  the  coitnty  during  this  period,  as 
far  as  the  records  show,  was  the  First  Squadron  of  the  Seventh  Cavalry 
Regiment,  which  probably  included  all  the  cavalry  in  the  couijty.  The 
officers  were  as  follows. 

Field  Officers. — 1812,  Henry  Edson,  adjutant;  Daniel  Dickinson,  quartermaster; 
Wm.  Robards,  major;  Isaac  Q.  Carpenter,  adjutant. 

Captains. — 1811,  Daniel  Montgomery,  John  LinnendoU,  Daniel  Starr;  1813,  Sidney 
Berry,  jr.,  Curtis  Burton,  Noah  Vibbert,  Nathan  Rogers,  John  Sayles. 

Lieutenants. — 1811,  Daniel  Dickinson,  Isaac  Q.  Carpenter,  Sidney  Berry,  jr., 
George  Reynolds,  jr.,  Curtis  Burton,  Parker  Manning,  Henry  Duel,  Chas.  Foster; 
1813,  Henry  Duel,  James  Meeker,  Isaac  Q.  Carpenter,  John  Sayles.  George  Rey- 
nolds, Seth  Pope,  Parker  Manning,  Samuel  Bacon,  Stephen  Swan,  Elijah  E.  Smith, 
Hezekiah  Reynolds,  Jeremiah  Rundle. 

Artillery. 

The  appointments  for  the  Second  Battalion  of  the  Fourth  Regiment 
of  Artillery  are  given  below.  This  battalion  appears  to  be  entered  in 
the  office  of  the  adjutant  general  as  a  part  of  the  Fifth  Regiment  about 
1810  when  it  consisted  of  the  artillery  in  the  counties  of  Saratoga, 
Montgomery  and  Schoharie : 

Field  and  Staff. — 1805,  Amos  Potter,  second  major;  1809,  Kiah  Harnden,  pay- 
master. 

Captains. — 1805,  Solomon  Day,  Cornelius  Whitney,  James  Hawley;  1806  Joseph 
I.  Green;  1807.  Lott  Wood,  James  Garnsey;  1809,  David  Richardson;  1810,  Joseph- 
Ketchum;  1811,  David  Waterman,  Simeon  Sammons,  Samuel  Drake;  1812,  Thomas 
Mackin,  jr. 

Lieutenants. — 1805,  Israel  Hand,  Butler  Beckwith,  John  Savage,  John  Baker, 
Isaac  Phelps,  jr.,  Abner  Stone,  George  W.  McCracken ;  1806,  John  M.  Thompson, 
Aaron  Waters,  Ebenezer  Rice,  Robert  Archibald ;  1807,  Wm.  Van  Kark,  Lemon  Foot, 
Walter  Reed,  Solomon  Warner,  Thomas  Talmage,  Peter  Roe;  1809,  Absalom  Daley, 
Henry  Harris,  Abel  Foster;  1810,  Francis  Drake,  Jesse  Tracy;  1811,  Chauncey  Garn- 
sey, Hiram  Mosher,  Jacob  Snyder,  John  B.  Miller,  Wm.  H.  Satterlee,  Ely  Foster, 


172  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Peter  Sternberg,  Wm.  Fowler;  1813,  Wm.  H.  Satterlee,  John  Yatman,  John  G.  Mur- 
ray, Nathaniel  Stewart,  Jessup  Raymond,  John  Eddy,  Silas  Wood. 

The  appointments  for  the  Saratoga  County'  Battalion,  which  after- 
ward was  organized  as  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-sixth  Regiment  of 
Artillery,  were  as  follows : 

Field  and  5^a^.— 1806,  George  Taylor,  major;  1809,  John  Cornwall,  adjutant; 
1810,  "Wm.  Leavens,'  second  major;  Ira  Woodworth,^  paymaster;  1812,  Levi  Scovill, 
major;  Avery  Benedict,  surgeon;  Willard  Leavens,'  quartermaster;  Isaac  Wood- 
worth,*  paymaster. 

Ca//az«J.— 1806,  Daniel  Hunt;  1807,  Daniel  Church,  John  Lindsay ;  1809,  David 
Walker;  1810,  Joseph  Rockwell,  Ira  Heath;  1813,  Peter  Butler. 

Lieutenants.— \m^,  David  Walker;  1807,  Gideon  Orton;  1809,  Wm.  Johnson,  Ira 
Heath,  John  Taylor;  1810,  Luke  Johnson,  Lawrence  Barber;  1813,  Artemus  Aldrich, 
David  Hemstreet. 

Other   Officers. 

There  is  a  hiatus  in  the  records  from  1812  to  1830.  From  1830  to 
1833  commissions  were  issued  to  the  following  militia  officers  in  Sara- 
toga county : 

In  1830. — October  30,  Egbert  C.  Noxon,  Half  moon,  first  lieutenant.  First  Artillery, 
Third  Brigade,  Second  Division;  Joel  Gould,  Clifton  Park,  captain.  First  Artillery; 
November  20,  Gilbert  Purdy,  Saratoga,  captain.  Sixty-third  Infantry,  Fifty-first  Bri- 
gade, Fifteenth  Division ;  Leonard  Adams,  Wilton,  lieutenant.  Sixty-third  Infantry ; 
James  McCreedy,  Saratoga,  ensign.  Sixty-third  Infantry;  August  7,  Lemon  A. 
Grippin,  Corinth,  ensign.  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-sixth  Infantry,  Fifty-first  Brigade, 
Fifteenth  Division;  Alfred  Mallory,  surgeon's  mate.  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-sixth 
Infantry;  August  14,  Francis  Milliman,  lieutenant.  Twenty- fourth  Infantry,  Fifty- 
first  Brigade,  Fifteenth  Division;  Ira  Swan,  ensign.  Twenty-fourth  Infantry ;  August 
4,  John  S.  Andrews,  Milton,  major.  Seventh  Cavalry,  Third  Brigade,  First  Divis- 
ion; December  10,  Henry  C.  Rice,  Stillwater,  captain.  Forty-first  Regiment;  No- 
vember 11,  Gilbert  Purdy,  Saratoga,  captain;  Leonard  Adams,  Wilton,  lieutenant; 
James  McCreedy,  Saratoga,  ensign;  Septembers,  Thomas  C.  Hale,  ensign.  Fifty- 
ninth  Regiment. 

In  1831. — February  8,  William  Fuller,  Ballston,  captain.  Thirty-second  Cavalry, 
Ninth  Brigade,  Fifteenth  Division ;  Isaiah  Blood,  Ballston,  lieutenant.  Thirty-second 
Cavalry;  Samuel  Irish,  Saratoga,  ensign.  Thirty-second  Cavalry;  February  19,  Jo- 
seph W.  Wood,  Ballston,  captain.  Thirty-second  Cavalry;  Samuel  Rue,  Balhton, 
lieutenant.  Thirty  second  Cavalry ;  William  D.  F.  Jennings,  Ballston,  ensign.  Thir- 
ty-second Cavalry ;  April  30,  Aaron  R.  Pattison,  Ballston  Spa,  colonel.  Thirty-second 
Cavalry;  Archibald  Spier,  jr.,  Ballston,  lieutenant-colonel.  Thirty-second  Cavalry; 
James  A.  Brinkerhoff,  Ballston,  major.  Thirty-second  Cavalry;  Samuel  Irish, 
Milton,  lieutenant.  Thirty-second  Cavalry;  Ira  Howell,  Ballston  Spa,  ensign, 
Thirty-second    Cavalry;    Isaiah   Blood,    Milton,    captain.    Thirty-second   Cavalry; 

'  Probably  the  same  person.  =  Probably  the  same  person. 


EARLY  MILITARY  ROLLS.  173 

Daniel  P.  Wakeman,  Ballston  Spa,  captain,  Thirty-second  Cavalry;  May  7,  John 
Penfield,  Ballston,  captain.  Seventh  Cavalry;  Elijah  W.  Weed,  Saratoga,  first 
lieutenant,  Seventh  Cavalry;  Clement  Patchin,  Milton,  second  lieutenant.  Sev- 
enth Cavalry;  Hiram  Loomis,  Milton,  cornet.  Seventh  Cavalry;  June  1,  Thomas 
M.  Burtis,  Saratoga  Springs,  paymaster.  Seventh  Cavalry;  April  23,  Thomas  L. 
Hewitt,  Gal  way,  ensign.  Twenty-fourth  Regiment;  June  4,  George  Hanford,  Gal- 
way,  major.  Separate  Battalion  Riflemen;  July  4,  John  Shurter,  Malta,  captain. 
Forty-first  Regiment,  Ninth  Brigade,  Fifteenth  Division;  ElishaD.  Miller,  Ballston, 
lieutenant,  Forty-first  Regiment;  Hiram  Hutchinson,  Malta,  ensign.  Forty-first 
Regiment;  July  3,  Henry  Van  Duzen,  Clifton  Pai-k,  captain,  One  Hundred  and  For- 
ty-fourth Regiment,  Ninth  Brigade;  George  Peck,  Clifton  Park,  lieutenant.  One 
Hundred  and  Forty-fourth  Regiment;  Lewis  E.  Sheldon,  Clifton  Park,  ensign.  One 
Hundred  and  Forty-fourth  Regiment;  September  30,  Lemuel  Spier,  Ballston,  sur- 
geon. Thirty-second  Regiment;  September  10,  Jesse  Morey,  Ballston,  captain,  Thir- 
ty-second Regiment ;  September  8,  Ephraim  Hill,  Saratoga,  ensign ;  September  28, 
Chauncey  D.  Buel,  Saratoga,  surgeon's  mate;  November  12,  Henry  D.  Chapman, 
Saratoga,  colonel;  September  14,  Clark  Tabor,  Providence,  captain;  Pardon  Soule, 
Providence,  lieutenant;  Huestin  McMullen,  Providence,  ensign;  September  24, 
Philip  James,  Galway,  captain;  Richard  M.  Livingston,  jr..  Gal  way,  lieutenant; 
John  H.  Dingman,  Galway,  ensign ;  November  13,  Samuel  Lewis,  Northumberland, 
lieutenant-coionel ;  Henry  Holmes,  Saratoga,  major ;  October  39,  Rensselaer  Thomp- 
son, Moreau,  captain;  Charles  A.  Sill,  Moreau,  lieutenant;  Richard  Davenport,  Mo- 
reau,  ensign;  August  37,  Benjamin  F.  Prior,  Greenfield,  captain;  October  5,  James 
A.  Swartwout,  Wilton,  ensign;  August  37,  Rensselaer  Ballou,  Greenfield,  lieutenant; 
Alvin  Day,  Greenfield,  ensign;  October  7,  Isaac  Ambler,  Greenfield,  quartermaster; 
September  8,  Uriah  B.  Couch,  Milton,  lieutenant;  Charles  M.  L.  Andrus,  Milton, 
ensign  ;  John  Potter,  Milton,  captain ;  Isaac  K.  Frink,  Milton,  lieutenant ;  Porter  W. 
Earl,  Milton,  ensign;  October  8,  Daniel  D.  A.  Green,  Milton,  lieutenant-colonel; 
October  29,  Uriah  B.  Couch,  Milton,  captain ;  Charles  M.  L.  Andrus,  Milton,  lieuten- 
ant; Benjamin  M.  Loomis,  Milton,  ensign;  December  81,  Gordon  Jenkins,  Hadley, 
captain ;  Jefferson  Jeffers,  Hadley,  ensign ;  November  26,  Ephraim  Hill,  Saratoga, 
captain;  Giles  B.  Slocum,  Saratoga,  lieutenant;  James  A.  Granger,  Saratoga,  en- 
sign; December  10,  Stephen  Welch,  2d,  Schuylerville,  captain;  Orra  Warner,  Mo- 
reau, first  lieutenant ;  John  W.  Vandenburgh,  Saratoga,  second  lieutenant ;  Septem- 
ber 10,  Isaac  E.  Garnsey,  Clifton  Park,  captain;  William  Golden,  Ballston,  first 
lieutenant;  John  Cole,  Stillwater,  second  lieutenant;  August  37,  David  T.  Zimmer- 
man, Stillwater,  captain ;  John  A.  J.  Countryman,  Stillwater,  first  lieutenant ;  Cor- 
nelius Cronkhite,  Stillwater,  second  lieutenant ;  September  10,  William  McGregor, 
jr.,  Wilton,  quartermaster;  William  H.  Walton,  Greenfield,  paymaster. 

In  1882. — March  10,  Lodewick  P.  Shew,  Providence,  colonel ;  John  S.  Green, 
Galway,  ensign;  Jonathan  Bristol,  Edinburgh,  captain;  March  81,  George  W.  Down- 
ing, Edinburgh,  lieutenant;  George  B.  Robinson,  Edinburgh,  ensign;  April  16, 
Henry  I/.  Swartwout,  Wilton,  quartermaster;  March  10,  Jonathan  Edgecomb,  Gal- 
way, major ;  March  31,  Seth  Warren,  Galway,  captain ;  Thomas  L.  Hewitt,  Galway, 
lieutenant;  Solomon  Ellithorp,  Edinburgh,  lieutenant-colonel;  May  13,  Archibald 
Spier,  Ballston  Spa,  colonel;  William  Fuller,  Ballston,  lieutenant-colonel;  Isaiah 
Blood,  Milton,  major;  May  10,  Joshua  T.   Blanchard,  Saratoga  Springs,  quarter- 


174  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

master,  cavalry;  April  28,  Andrew  Taylor,  Half  moon,  first  lieutenant,  cavalry;  Chris- 
topher Snyder,  Half  moon,  second  lieutenant,  cavalry:  Mina  Morse,  Halfmoon,  cor- 
net, cavalry;  Duncan  McMasters.  Charlton,  captain;  William  Fowler,  Charlton, 
lieutenant;  Robert  Gilchrist,  Charlton,  ensign;  August  18,  Wright  I.  Esmond,  Half- 
moon,  captain;  William  Gates,  jr.,  Halfmoon,  lieutenant;  Abraham  James,  Half- 
moon,  ensign ;  August  20,  Shadrach  Burlison,  Waterford,  captain ;  Harry  B.  Scott, 
Waterford,  lieutenant;  Mason  K.  Eastman,  Waterford,  ensign;  April  13,  John  R. 
McGregor,  Wilton,  aid-de-camp;  July  7,  Samuel  Rice,  Ballston,  captain;  A.  R.  Red- 
field,  Ballston,  lieutenant;  James  Wakeman,  Ballston,  ensign;  June  30,  Hiram 
Barras,  Greenfield,  ensign ;  Roswell  Finch,  Saratoga,  ensign ;  Henry  W.  Peck,  Sar- 
atoga, first  lieutenant;  Robert  Burdee,  Saratoga,  second  lieutenant;  Henry  W. 
Dennis,  Saratoga,  ensign;- June  9,  Alvah  Dake,  Greenfield,  second  lieutenant;  Levi 
B.  Alcott,  Greenfield,  ensign ;  March  9,  William  Stewart,  Edinburgh,  captain ;  Orson 
Wright,  Edinburgh,  lieutenant;  August  31,  Azariah  E.  Stimson,  Galway,  adjutant; 
John  O.  Ellithorp,  Edinburgh,  quartermaster;  September  14,  Clark  Tabor,  Prov- 
idence, captain ;  Pardon  Soule,  Providence,  lieutenant. 

WAR  OF  1812. 

The  war  of  1812  caused  little  interruption  in  the  development  o£  the 
county,  though  many  of  its  inhabitants,  some  of  whom  had  fought  in  the 
Revolution,  enlisted  in  the  American  army  and  took  up  arms  against  Great 
Britain.  The  Saratoga  brigade  of  cavalry  united  with  the  companies  or- 
ganized in  Rensselaer  county,  and  on  September  19,  1813,  they  left  Troy 
for  the  Lake  Champlain  region.  They  were  accompanied  as  far  as 
Waterford  by  Governor  Tompkins  in  person,  and  proceeded  from  there 
to  Plattsburgh,  where  they  participated  in  the  victory  over  the  British 
at  that  point.  Early  in  1813  many  men  from  this  county  who  had  not 
already  enlisted  in  the  home  companies,  joined  General  John  E.  Wool's 
command  being  organized  at  Troy,  and  were  sent  to  the  frodt,  where 
they  served  with  honor.  December  3,  1814,  most  of  those  who  had  fought 
in  that  war  joined  the  Rensselaer  and  Albany  county  veterans  in  giving 
an  enthusiastic  reception  to  Commodore  Thomas  MacDonough,  whose 
flotilla  had  achieved  a  complete  and  glorious  victory  over  the  British  fleet 
on  Lake  Champlain.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  no  complete  official  records 
of  the  men  who  served  in  this  war  are  extant.  As  far  as  can  be  learned 
from  meagre  but  authentic  sources,  however,  the  following  enlisted 
from  the  various  towns  of  the  county,  some  of  the  names  being  those 
of  members  of  the  State  militia  which  appear  in  preceding  pages : 

Saratoga  Springs. Ham, Danforth. 

Milton — Captain  Reuben  Westcott,  Freeman  Thomas,  Cornelius  Schermerhorn, 
Daniel  Beach,  W.  J.  Stillwell,  Oliver  Whitehead,  John  Wheeler,  Timothy  Bailey, 
Alvah  Robertson. 


EARLY  MILITARY  ROLLS.  175 

Ballston. — Captain  Isaac  Curtis,  Chester  Clapp,  Silas  Smith,  Wm.  Evans,  S.  Cur- 
tis, Lewis  Miller. 

Saratoga. — Captain  James  Mott,  Isaac  Ackerman,  Wm.  Clements,  George  Strover, 
Henry  D.  Chapman,  Nathaniel  Somes,  Elisha  Phillips,  Justus  Fuller,  Martin  Rogers, 
Archibald  Fuller,  Wm.  Ward,  Samuel  Eldredge,  Nicholas  Viele,  John  Rogers, 
James  Rogers. 

Stillwater. — ^James  Hodgman,  Lieut.  John  R.  Myers,  David  C.  Flagler,  Wm. 
Baker,  Peter  Baker,  Wm.  Scouten,  James  McNeal,  Thomas  Elms,  Daniel  Hewett, 
jr.,  Samuel  Edmonds,  John  Tompkins,  David  Blood. 

Charlton. — Captain  John  Ferguson,  Joseph  Beach,  James  Ritchie,  Lawrence  Gar- 
diner, Jared  Smith,  Delsa  Benjamin,  Ezra  Seeley, Swart,  Captain  David  Gordon, 

Major  Millard,  Surgeon  David  Low,  Jonas  Crane,  Thomas  Kirby,  Asher  Cox,  Joseph 
Watkins. 

Waterford. — Teunis  Waldron,  Nelson,  Benjamin  Goewey,  Wm.  Van  Every, 

Rubens  Ryms,  James  Wilson,  Daniel  Guire,  John  R.  Maxiber,  George  Finan, 
George  Musgrave,  Philip  Argersinger,  Rusk  Norway,  Perth  Mudhuling,  Wm.  Car- 
pensy,  George  Nichols,  John  Ives, Collins, Kline, Kuth. 

Halfmoon. — Lieut.-Col.  Shubael  Taylor,  Gilbert  Williams,  Samuel  Coon,  Oliver 
Waite,  G.  A.  Robinson,  Elijah  Brown,  Peter  Van  Santford,  Isaac  M.  Deyoe,  Wm. 
Smith,  James  Houghtaling,  Ezra  Crittenden,  John  Potts,  Jeremiah  Francisco,  Ger- 
man Van  Voorhees,  Henry  Soper,  Esau  Wilson,  Thos.  Follett. 

Galway.— Ebenezer  Olmstead,  John  McDonald,  Wheeler  Bradley. 

Edinburgh. — Capt,  John  Gordon,  Lieut.  John  Brown,  Sergt.  Silas  Washburne,  Col. 
Godfrey  Shew,  John  Akley,  Ananias  Akley,  Wm.  Van  Avery,  Daniel  Buckalow, 
Myron  White,  Nathaniel  Robinson,  Ephraim  Potter,  Wm.  Hill,  Solomon  Scott, 
James  Rhodes,  Stephen  White. 

Malta. — Adjt.  Gould  Morehouse,  Seneca  Hall,  Daniel  D.  Tompkins,  Eli  Dunning, 
Peter  Dunn,  Barney  Vail,  John  Story,  John  Van  Arnam,  Henry  Pell. 

Corinth. — Peleg  Eddy,  Daniel  Cole,  Thomas  Wheaton. 

Northumberland. — Adjutant  Jeremiah  Terhune,  Charles  McCreedy,  Gamaliel  Mc- 
Creedy,  Jeremiah  McCreedy,  William  McCurdy  (or  McCreedy),  William  Coffinger, 
Higgins  Coffinger,  Joseph  Stevens, Osborne. 

Hadley. — John  Gilbert,  James  De  Long,  Rufus  Wells,  Harry  Burke,  Squire 
Lawton. 

Moreau. — James  Coburn,    Samuel    Putnam,    Bloster    Merritt,    Tompkins, 

Solomon  Parks,  Captain  Elisha  Danford,  Truman  Wilcox. 

Greenfield. — None  known. 

Day. — Moses  Colson,  WiUiam  Colson,  jr.,  Daniel  Fraker,  Joseph  Flansburgh, 
Thomas  Totman,  Zabin  Shippy,  Arnold  Paul. 

Wilton. — Colonel  Seth  Perry,  Captain  Jason  Adams,  Caleb  Perry,  James  Woodard, 
Benedict  Woodard,  Henry  Strong,  Drew  Laing. 

Clifton  Park. — Henry  Palmer,  James  Groom,  Adam  R.  Van  Vranken,  Michael 
Doty,  John  Millins,  Peter  Doty,  Solomon  C.  Peck,  Everett  Hawley,  Richard  Spire, 
David  Wiltsiei  Andrew  Evans,  Jeremiah  Clute,  Timothy  Doty,  Deacon  Palmer. 

Providence. — None  known. 


]76  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Construction  of  the  Railroad  from  Schenectady  to  Saratoga  Springs,  the  First  in 
Saratoga  County— The  Rensselaer  and  Saratoga  Road  Built  Soon  After— Rivalry 
Between  the  Two  Concerns— Other  Roads  Merged  in  the  Rensselaer  and  Saratoga 
—All  Pass  Under  the  Control  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company— The 
Old  Albany,  Vermont  and  Canada— The  Adirondack— The  Fitchburg  and  the  Mount 
McGregor  Lines— Projected  Lines  Which  Were  Never  Constructed— Modern  Elec- 
tric Railways  in  Saratoga  County. 

As  the  opening  of  the  Erie  and  Champlain  canals  marked  a  new  era 
in  the  history  of  Saratoga  county,  so  also  did  the  construction  of  the 
first  railroad  extending  into  the  county. 

February  16,  1831,  the  State  Legislature  granted  a  charter  to  the 
Saratoga  and  Schenectady  Railroad  company,  which  was  empowered  to 
construct  and  maintain  a  steam  railroad  between  Schenectady  and  Sara- 
toga Springs,  passing  through  the  village  of  Ballston  Spa.  The  incor- 
porators named  in  the  act  were  Henry  Walton,  John  Clarke,  William 
A.  Langworthy,  John  H.  Steele,  Miles  Beach,  Gideon  W.  Davison, 
Rockwell  Putnam,  and  "such  other  persons  as  shall  associate  with  them 
for  that  purpose."  The  road  was  directed  by  law  to  be  either  a  single 
or  double  track,  to  pass  as  nearly  as  practicable  through  the  centre  of 
of  the  village  of  Ballston  Spa.  The  charter  was  for  fifty  years. 
Churchill  C.  Camberling,  Walter  Bowne,  Henry  Walton,  John  Clarke, 
Samuel  Young,  Thomas  Palmer,  Daniel  J.  Toll,  John  J.  De  Graff, 
William  James,  James  Stevenson  and  John  Townsend  were  designated 
as  commissioners  to  receive  subscriptions  to  the  capital  stock  of  $150,- 
000.  The  work  of  construction  was  begun  during  the  spring  of  1831, 
and  the  road  was  opened  for  traffic  as  far  north  as  Ballston  Spa  July 
12,  1833.  But  it  was  not  completed  to  Saratoga  Springs  until  the  fol- 
lowing year.  The  early  business  of  the  road  was  so  limited  that  opera- 
tions frequently  ceased  entirely  in  the  winter  season,  the  company 
carrying  such  passengers  as  might  apply  for  passage  by  horse  and 
sleigh.  It  was  not  until  the  road  was  leased  to  the  Rensselaer  and 
Saratoga  Railroad  company  that  its  business  assumed  profitable  pro- 
portions. 


RAILROADS.  177 

In  an  old  book  containing  brief  sketches  of  the  various  railroads  in 
the  United  States,  constructed  or  projected,'  published  about  1833  by 
an  engineer,  the  following  description  of  this  railroad  appears:' 

Saratoga  and  Schenectady  Railroad. — This  road  was  commenced  the  1st  of 
September,  1831,  and  was  opened  for  travelling  12th  July,  1832,  except  a  short  dis- 
tance at  Ballston,  which  was  completed  in  April,  1833.  Its  length  is  31  1-3  miles. 
Its  cost,  $317,201.33,  exclusive  of  the  land  it  occupies,  and  some  trifling  agencies 
and  travelling  apparatus,  but  including  everything,  when  in  complete  operation, 
$397,237.  About  3  miles  of  it  is  put  down  on  stone  foundation.  Trenches  were  dug 
2  1-13  by  3  1-3  feet,  and  filled  with  broken  stone,  closely  rammed;  and  upon  this 
square  blocks  of  about  3  cubic  feet  were  placed,  8  feet  from  centre  to  centre.  On 
these  stone  blocks  cast  iron  chairs  are  placed  to  receive  the  wooden  rails,  upon  which 
is  the  iron  plate.  Cross-ties  of  timber  secure  the  rails  from  spreading.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  road  is  laid  upon  longitudinal  sills,  upon  which  the  sleepers  rest, 
notched  on  both  sides,  to  secure  the  sills  in  their  place,  and  also  to  receive  the  wood 
rail,  upon  which  rests  the  iron  plate,  as  in  the  first  part  of  the  road.  It  has  but  a 
single  track,  with  turn-outs.  The  road  is  mostly  level,  and  in  no  case  does  the  in- 
clination exceed  16  feet  to  the  mile.  Steam  power  is  used  to  great  advantage,  and 
the  net  income  of  the  road  from  April  1,  1888,  to  February,  1834,  was  within  a  frac- 
tion of  10  per  cent,  upon  its  capital.  It  will  be  much  more  profitable  when  the  Sar- 
atoga and  Fort  Edward  road  shall  be  completed,  so  as  to  bring  the  travel  from  the 
north  via  Saratoga  to  Albany.     Chartered  in  1881. 

About  the  time  of  the  construction  of  this  road  the  trade  of  Northern 
New  York,  especially  of  Saratoga  and  Washington  counties,  was 
assuming  considerable  proportions.  The  people  of  Albany  already  had 
built  a  railroad  from  Albany  to  Schenectady,  the  second  enterprise  of 
the  kind  in  the  United  States,  and  in  order  to  draw  this  northern  trade 
from  Troy,  to  which  it  most  naturally  would  flow,  the  inhabitants  of 
Albany  attempted  to  divert  it  from  that  channel  by  the  construction  of 
the  road  from  Schenectady  to  Saratoga  Springs. 

Appreciating  the  motives  of  the 'rival  city  of  Albany,  the  business 
men  of  Troy  at  once  set  to  work  to  secure  a  charter  for  a  new  road 
from  Troy  to  Ballston  Spa,  a  distance  of  twenty-six  miles.  This  fran- 
chise was  granted  them  April  14,  1832,  the  articles  of  incorporation 
naming  as  the  first  directors  George  Griswold.  John  Cramer,  Elisha 
Tibbits,  John  Knickerbacker,  Richard  P.  Hart,  Townsend  McCoun, 
Nathan  Warren,  Stephen  Warren,  Le  Grand  Cannon,  George  Vail, 
Mo.ses  Williams,  John  P.  Cushman  and  John  Paine.  John  Knicker- 
backer of  Waterford,  John  House,  also  of  Waterford,  Stephen  Warren, 

*  A  copy  of  this  book  is  now  in  possession  of  William  Buchanan,  superintendent  of  motive 
power  and  rolling  stock  of  the  N.  Y.C.  &  H.  K.  R.  R, 
12 


178  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

William  Pierce,  William  Haight,  James  Cook  and  Joel  Lee  o£  Ballston 
Spa  were  designated  as  commissioners  to  open  books  of  subscription. 
Work  upon  the  road  was  begun  the  next  year,  and  October  6,  1835,  the 
first  passenger  train,  north  bound,  left  Troy.  The  northern  terminus 
of  the  road  was  near  the  present  depot  in  Ballston  Spa,  and  the  south- 
ern terminus  was  at  No.  10  First  street,  Troy. 

While  tljis  road  extended  as  far  north  as  Ballston  Spa  only,  the 
Schenectady  and  Saratoga  railroad  had  been  built  as  far  north  as  Sara- 
toga Springs,  the  latter  road  thereby  securing  a  monopoly  of  the  traffic 
between  Saratoga  Springs  and  Ballston  Spa.  As  soon  as  the  Rensse- 
laer and  Saratoga  railroad  had  been  completed,  an  endeavor  was  made 
to  enter  into  an  agreement  with  the  other  road  whereby  the  passenger 
and  the  freight  traffic  of  the  Rensselaer  and  Saratoga  road  might  be 
carried  on  north  of  Ballston  Spa  over  the  tracks  of  the  Saratoga  and 
Schenectady  road.  The  project  was  selfishly  opposed,  however,  by  the 
management  of  the  latter  road,  comprised  almost  wholly  of  inhabitants 
of  Albany,  who  were  jealous  of  Troy's  commercial  success,  and  doubt- 
less would  have  come  to  nought  had  it  not  been  for  the  fact  that  the 
directors  of  the  Rensselaer  and  Saratoga  road  had  an  unexpected  oppor- 
tunity to  purchase  of  a  New  York  broker  a  sufficient  number  of  shares 
of  stock  of  the  other  road  to  give  them  its  control.  This  settled  the 
question,  and  the  two  other  roads  thereafter  worked  in  harmony.  Di- 
rect communication  between  Troy  and  Saratoga  Springs  was  at  once 
established.  The  first  cars  used  on  this  road  were  made  by  Gilbert, 
Veazie  &  Eaton,  then  famous  car  builders  of  Troy.  The  passenger 
cars  were  looked  upon  as  marvels  of  beauty,  crude  as  they  were,  and 
were  twenty-four  in  number.  They  were  twenty-four  feet  long,  eight 
feet  wide,  and  a  little  over  six  feet  high  inside.  Each  was  divided  into 
three  apartments.  The  seats  were  "  cushioned  and  backed  with  crim- 
son morocco,  trimmed  with  coach  lace,  each  apartment  is  surrounded 
by  movable  panels,  thus  affording  the  comforts  and  facilities  of  either 
a  close  or  open  carriage  to  suit  the  convenience  of  the  passengers." 

This  road  finally  went  into  the  hands  of  its  creditors;  was  purchased 
by  a  new  organization,  who  raised  the  capital  stock  to  $600,000,  and 
later  on  to  $800,000.  In  June,  1860,  it  leased  the  Saratoga  and  Sche- 
nectady and  the  Albany  and  Vermont  railroads.  In  1865  it  leased  the 
Saratoga  and  Whitehall  and  the  Rutland  and  Washington  railroads. 
In  1868  it  leased  and  became  owner  of  all  the  capital  stock  of  the  Glens 
Falls  railroad.     In  February,  1870,  it  leased  the  Rutland  and  Whitehall 


RAILROADS.  179 

road.  May  1,  1871,  the  Rensselaer  and  Saratoga  Railroad  company 
leased  all  its  roads  and  leased  lines  to  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal 
company,  which  since  that  time  has  operated  the  entire  system. 

The  Saratoga  and  Washington  Railroad  company,  (now  a  part  of  the 
Delaware  and  Hudson  system)  was  chartered  May  2,  1834,  with  a  cap- 
ital stock  of  $600,000,  but  the  company  was  not  fully  organized  until 
April  30,  1835.  The  work  of  construction  was  begun  at  once  and  over 
$60,000  expended,  when  it  was  stopped  in  1836.  The  time  was  ex- 
tended April  13,  1840;  May  6,  1844,  and  April  4,  1850,  and  the  capital 
stock  was  increased  to  $850,000  April  7,  1847.  March  7,  1848,  the 
company  was  granted  permission  to  extend  the  road  east  to  Vermont. 
Upon  resuming  work  a  route  was  in  part  adopted,  and  the  work  of 
laying  rails  was  begun  April  10,  1848.  August  15  of  that  year  the  road 
was  opened  from  Saratoga  Springs  toGansevoort;  December  10,  1848, 
it  was  opened  to  Whitehall,  and  April  9,  1851,  to  Lake  Station,  a  mile 
and  three-quarters  beyond  Whitehall  junction.  The  road  was  sold 
February  27,  1855,  on  foreclosure  of  second  mortgage,  when  the  name 
was  changed  to  Saratoga  and  Whitehall  Railroad.  The  new  company 
was  organized  June  8,  1855,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $500,000,  and  its 
complete  road  runs  from  Saratoga  Springs  to  Castleton,  Vt.,  a  distance 
of  fifty-two  and  one-half  miles,  sixteen  miles  of  which  lie  in  Saratoga 
county.  This  road  was  the  successor  to  the  Saratoga  and  Fort  Edward 
railroad,  which  was  incorporated  April  17,  1833,  with  a  capital  of  $300,- 
000,  to  construct  a  road  from  Saratoga  Springs  to  Fort  Edward,  a  dis- 
tance of  seventeen  miles.  By  the  act  of  May  3,  1834,  nothing  having 
been  done  in  the  mean  time  toward  the  building  of  the  road,  its  sur- 
veys, maps,  etc.,  were  allowed  to  be  sold  fo  the  Saratoga  and  Washing- 
ton Railroad  company. 

The  history  of  the  old  Albany,  Vermont  and  Canada  railroad,  com- 
monly know  as  the  Albany  Northern,  part  of  which  has  been  aban- 
doned many  years,  is  interesting.  This  railroad  was  originally  projected 
by  the  Albany.  Bennington  and  Rutland  Railroad  company,  which  was 
organized  April  23,  1850,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $400,000.  This  enter- 
prise was  soon  afterward  merged  in  the  Albany  Northern  Railroad 
company,  which  was  organized  February  12,  1851,  with  a  capital  stock 
af  $335,000.  This  company  built  a  railroad,  single-track,  from  Albany 
to  Eagle  Bridge,  thirty-three  miles,  passing  through  West  Troy, 
Cohoes,  Waterford,  Schaghticoke,  Pittstown,  Johnsonville  and  Bus- 
kirks,  to  Eagle  Bridge.     The  road  crossed  the  Hudson  river  about 


180  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

three  miles  above  Waterford,  and  the  old  roadbed  east  of  the  tracks  of 
the  Rensselaer  and  Saratoga  branch  of  the  Delaware  &  Hudson  Canal 
company's  road,  above  Waterford  Junction,  may  still  be  seen.  The 
road  was  opened  for  traffic  about  July  1,  1853.  But  it  became  financially 
involved,  and  was  sold  under  foreclosure  of  mortgage  October  16, 
1856,  assuming  the  name  of  Albany,  Vermont  and  Canada  railroad 
November  7,  1856.  October  6,  1859,  the  company  filed  articles  of  in- 
corporation as  the  Albany  and  Vermont  Railroad  company,  and  June 
12,  1860,  it  leased  its  line  to  the  Rensselaer  and  Saratoga  Railroad 
company. 

The  Adirondack  railroad  is  the  tangible  outcome  of  several  unsuc- 
cessful attempts  to  construct  a  road  from  the  valley  of  the  Hudson  at 
or  near  Albany,  through  the  southern  part  of  the  Adirondack  wilder- 
ness to  the  east  end  of  Lake  Ontario,  or  the  headwaters  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  river.  The  first  attempt  to  establish  such  a  road  was  made 
in  April,  1839,  when  the  first  Adirondack  Railroad  company,  was  in- 
corporated. It  did  not  attempt  to  build  the  projected  road,  however. 
The  next  project  was  the  Sackett's  Harbor  and  Saratoga  railroad, 
which  was  incorporated  with  a  capital  stock  of  $2,000,000  April  10, 
1848.  This  company  began  the  work  of  grading  for  the  contemplated 
road,  but  finally  abandoned  the  effort.  April  6,  1857,  this  company 
was  reorganized  as  the  Lake  Ontario  and  Hudson  River  Railroad  com- 
pany, but  still  did  nothing  toward  building  any  portion  of  the  road. 
Then,  on  August  11,  1860,  the  Adirondack  Estate  and  Railroad  com- 
pany was  incorporated;  but  nothing  was  done  until  it  had  been  merged 
in  the  Adirondack  company,  which  filed  articles  of  incorporation 
October  24,  1863,  and  soon  after  began  the  work  of  building  its  single- 
track  railroad  from  Saratoga  Springs  northward.  March  31,  1865,  the 
Legislature  gave  it  permission  to  extend  its  road  to  Lake  Ontario  or 
the  St.  Lawrence,  also  to  increase  its  capital  stock  to  $5, 000, 000.  The 
road  was  constructed  from  Saratoga  Springs  to  North  Creek,  Warren 
county,  a  distance  of  sixty-two  miles,  passing  through  Greenfield, 
King's  Station,  South  Corinth,  Jessup's  Landing  and  Hadley  in  Sara- 
toga county.  July  10,  1870,  the  charter  was  amended  and  the  capital 
stock  increased  to  the  limit  allowed  by  the  law  of  1865. 

The  Adirondack  Railway  company  was  incorporated  as  a  reorganiza- 
tion of  a  corporation  known  as  "The  Adirondack  company,"  under  a 
plan  or  agreement  filed  in  the  office  of  the  secretary  of  state  July  7, 
1882.     The  Adirondack  company  was  incorporated  October  24,  1863, 


RAILROADS.  181 

and  empowered  "to  construct  and  operate  a  railroad  from  some  point 
in  the  county  of  Saratoga,  up  and  along  the  valley  of  the  Upper  Hud- 
son in  the  wilderness  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State,  to  purchase, 
take  and  hold  lands  to  the  amount  of  one  million  of  acres  in  the  said 
wilderness,  in  addition  to  the  lands  it  was  authorized  to  take  under  the 
general  railroad  law,  to  convert  and  prepare  for  market  the  natural 
products  of  the  forest;  to  mine  and  prepare  for  market  the  iron  and 
other  ores  and  piinerals  upon  its  lands,  and  to  transport,  sell  and  dis- 
pose of  the  same. "  The  Adirondack  Railway  companj%  by  virtue  of 
its  incorporation  and  under  such  reorganization  was  vested  with  all  the 
rights,  privileges  and  franchises,  and  possessed  of  all  the  lands,  property 
and  immunities  possessed  by  the  original  Adirondack  company  as  cov- 
ered by  its  mortgage  and  sold  under  the  proceedings  to  enforce  the 
same. 

Several  other  early  railroads  which  were  projected  were  abandoned. 
The  Saratoga  Springs  and  Schuylerville  railroad  was  incorporated  April 
6,  1832,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $100,000,  to  build  a  line  from  Saratoga 
Springs  to  Schuylerville.  The  Saratoga  and  Montgomery  railroad  was 
incorporated  May  6,  1836,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $150,000,  to  build 
a  road  from  Ballston  Spa  to  the  west  branch  of  the  North  river.  The 
Albany  and  Saratoga  Springs  railroad  was  organized  September  20, 
1852,  with  capital  stock  of  $200,000,  to  build  a  line  connecting  Saratoga 
Springs  with  the  Albany  Northern  railroad.  The  Saratoga  and  Hud- 
son River  railroad  was  organized  April  16, 1864.  The  Saratoga,  Schuy- 
lerville and  Hoosac  Tunnel  railroad  filed  articles  April  14,  1870,  with  a 
capital  stock  of  $300,000,  intending  to  build  a  road  from  Saratoga 
Springs  to  Schuylerville.  But  none  of  these  railroads  existed  except 
on  paper. 

The  Schenectady  &  Mechanicville  railroad,  chartered  May  9,  1867, 
was  built  and  is  owned  by  the  Delaware  &  Hudson  Canal  company.  It 
was  opened  in  January,  1882,  and  extends  from  Schen^fctady  to  Me- 
chanicville. 

The  Mount  McGregor  Railroad  company  was  chartered  February  27, 
1882,  and  the  road,  a  narrow-gauge  line  extending  from  Saratoga 
Springs  to  the  summit  of  Mount  McGregor,  in  the  town  of  Moreau, 
was  constructed  soon  afterward.  March  6,  1893,  the  road  was  sold  at 
foreclosure  by  John  Person,  referee,  arid  the  deed  given  to  Douglass 
W.  Mabee  of  Ballston  Spa  as  trustee.  June  10,  1896,  the  Saratoga  and 
Mount  McGregor  Railroad  company  was  incorporated  for  the  purpose 


182  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

of  operating  the  road,  which  on  that  date  was  leased  to  this  company 
by  Douglass  W.  Mabee  as  trustee.  January  29,  1897,  an  agreement 
was  made  between  said  trustee  and  Edmund  A.  Manice  for  the  sale  of 
the  road  upon  the  performance  of  certain  conditions  on  or  before  July 
1,  1898.  In  1898  the  Mount  McGregor  Railroad  company  was  merged 
into  the  Saratoga  Northern  Railroad  company,  and  it  is  the  intention 
of  the  latter  company  to  extend  the  tracks  to  Glens  Falls  and  operate 
an  electric  railway.  May  28,  1898,  the  Mount  McGregor  Railroad 
company  was  peremptorily  ordered  to  vacate  and  surrender  to  the  Del- 
aware &  Hudson  Canal  company  premises  in  Saratoga  which  the  latter 
company  had  leased  to  the  Mount  McGregor  company.  The  land  is 
seven  feet  in  width  and  3,693  feet  in  length,  and  runs  parallel  to  the 
tracks  of  the  Delaware  &  Hudson  road.  The  original  lease  was  for  one 
year  only.  The  Mount  McGregor  railroad  is  operated  during  the  sum- 
mer months  only. 

The  Troy,  Saratoga  and  Northern  Railroad  company  was  chartered 
September  2,  1886,  and  subsequently  was  leased  to  the  Fitchburg  Rail- 
road company.  Its  tracks  extend  from  Saratoga  Springs  and  Schuyler- 
ville  to  Stillwater,  where  they  meet  the  main  line  of  the  Fitchburg  road. 

The  Fitchburg  railroad  extends  through  Saratoga  county  from  its 
bridge  at  Stillwater,  through  Mechanicville,  to  Rotterdam  Junction,  It 
was  chartered  March  3,  1893,  it  originally  having  been  known  as  the 
Troy  &  Boston  railroad. 

The  Saratoga  &  St.  Lawrence  Railroad  company  was  chartered 
August  17,  1885,  and  leased  to  the  Ogdensburg  &  Lake  Champlain 
Railroad  company  June  1,  1889.  None  of  the  road  completed  lies  in 
Saratoga  county. 

The  Hudsqn  River  &  Washington  County  Midland  Railroad  com- 
pany was  chartered  September  6,  1895.  It  was  the  original  intention 
to  build  in  the  spring  of  1896.  The  right  of  way  has  been  secured, 
the  engineering  work  mostly  completed,  stone  for  bridges  laid  down  at 
points  where  it  is  to  be  used,  and  grading  has  been  commenced,  but 
the  road  has  not  yet  been  constructed. 

Besides  these  steam  railroads  there  are  several  electric  railroads  in 
Saratoga  county.  The  Saratoga  Street  railway  was  incorporated  in 
1897,  the  Saratoga  Electric  railway  in  1889,  the  Saratoga  Rapid  Tran- 
sit railway  and  the  Union  Electric  railway  of  Saratoga  in  1890,  the 
Saratoga  Traction  Co.  and  the  Saratoga  Lake  railway  in  1897.  The 
Saratoga  Traction   Co.   owns  all  the  original  property  of  these  com- 


RAILROADS.  183 

panics,  to  wit :  a  road  to  The  Geysers  two  miles  in  length,  and  a  road 
to  Saratoga  lake  a  little  over  five  miles  in  length.  The  former  branch 
will  shortly  be  extended  to  Ballston  Spa,  and  possibly  to  Mechanicville. 
The  officers  of  the  Saratoga  Traction  company  are :  President,  Theo- 
dore P.  Hamilton  of  Saratoga  Springs;  treasurer,  P.  S.  Storrs  of  New 
York;  secretary,  R.  Smith  of  New  York.  R.  E.  Dunston  is  general 
manager  of  the  road. 

The  Ballston  Terminal  railway,  the  operation  of  which  was  begun  in 
the  summer  of  1898,  was  chartered  March  11,  1896.  The  work  of  con- 
struction was  begun  June  2,  1896.  The  first  officers  of  the  road  were: 
President,  John  Noblit;  vice-president,  Frank  Jones;  treasurer,  C.  E. 
Lent;  secretary,  A.  B.  Paine.  The  following  description  of  this  unique 
road  is  taken  from  the  Electrical  World  of  April  30,  1898 : 

A  novelty  in  electric  railways  is  now  under  construction  in  the  northern  part  of 
New  York  State,  its  peculiarity  being  that  the  road,  although  situated  in  the  open 
country  and  designed  mainly  for  freight  service,  is  to  be  driven  electrically.  The 
road  is  called  the  Ballston  Terminal  Railway  and  runs  from  Ballston  Spa,  where  it 
connects  with  the  Delaware  &  Hudson  system,  12}^  miles  along  the  Kayaderosseras 
creek  to  Middle  Grove,  passing  on  the  way  many  large  paper  and  pulp  mills,  which 
it  is  intended  to  serve.  The  road  is  single  track,  built  mainly  on  private  right  of 
way,  and  is  constructed  on  regular  steam  railroad  lines,  with  70pound  steel  T  rails, 
standard  ties  and  gravel  ballast.  The  trestles  and  bridge  work  are  all  of  standard 
railway  construction,  the  latter  being  of  steel  on  masonry  foundations.  The  reasons 
for  adopting  electric  power  were  the  desire  to  run  the  road  in  places  beside  the  high- 
way where  steam  locomotives  are  objectionable,  the  reduced  fire  risk  in  and  about 
the  paper  mills  and  their  wood  yards,  and  the  increased  passenger  traffic  which  it  is 
expected  can  be  obtained  with  the  more  frequent  service  possible  with  the  lower 
train  mile  charges  of  the  electric  system.  The  electric  cars  can  also  overcome  better 
the  grades  and  curves,  the  reduction  of  which  to  steam  railroad  standards  would 
have  been  quite  expensive  on  this  line.  The  maximum  grade  is  2J^  per  cent,  and 
the  sharpest  curve  has  a  radius  of  150  feet. 

The  Stillwater  and  Mechanicville  Street  Railway  company  received 
its  charter  November  13,  1882.  Work  upon  the  road  was  completed 
the  year  following  and  cars  began  running  June  1,  1883.  In  1884  the 
line  was  extended  to  the  Delaware  &  Hudson  depot  in  Mechanicville. 
In  1895  the  motive  power  was  changed  from  horses  to  electricity,  and 
the  electric  cars  began  running  December  25  of  the  latter  year.  May 
5,  1898,  the  State  Railroad  commission  approved  an  increase  in  the 
capital  stock  from  $60,000  to  $250,000,  the  additional  capital  to  be  used 
by  the  company  in  the  construction  of  a  new  line  to  run  from  Mechanic- 
ville to  Waterford,  where  it  is  to  connect  with  the  Troy  City  railway. 


184  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

With  the  construction  of  this  line  and  the  projected  southerly  extension 
of  the  line  of  the  Saratoga  Traction  company,  the  public  will  be  afforded 
means  of  transportation  by  electric  railway  from  Troy  and  Albany 
to  Saratoga  Springs.  The  projected  extension  of  the  Mount  McGregor 
railroad  northward  to  Glens  Falls  and  the  changing  of  its  motive  power 
from  steam  to  electricity  will  give  electric  railway  communication  in 
an  almost  direct  line  from  Troy  and  Albany  to  Glens  Falls,  Sandy  Hill 
and  Fort  Edward. 

Sunday,  August  15,  1898,  a  branch  of  the  Stillwater  and  Mechanic- 
ville  electric  railway  was  opened  from  Mechanicville  to  Waterford. 

The  Waterford  &  Cohoes  Street  Railway  company  was  chartered  Feb- 
ruary 8,  1883,  for  the  purpose  of  operating  a  street  railroad  between 
Waterford  and  Cohoes.  The  road  was  built  in  1884  and  August  19  of 
that  year  was  leased  to  the  Troy  and  Lansingburgh  Railroad  company. 

The  Schuylerville  &  Greenwich  Electric  Railway  company  received  a 
charter  in  1896  granting  the  right  to  construct  an  electric  railway  line 
from  Schuylerville,  in  Saratoga  county,  to  Greenwich,  in  Washington 
county.     The  road  has  not  yet  been  built. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


Second  Period  of  the  Century,  1831  to  the  War  of  the  Rebellion— Days  of  Great 
Prosperity  at  Saratoga  Springs— Reconstruction  of  the  Early  Hotels  and  the  Build- 
ing of  Many  Handsome  New  Ones— Dr.  Clark's  Waterworks  System— Banks, 
Churches  and  Schools— Foundation  of  Temple  Grove  Seminary— Societies  Organ- 
ized—The Numerous  and  Important  Manufactures  of  Ballston  Spa  Established 
During  This  Period— The  Ballston  Spa  National  Bank— Religious  and  Secret  So- 
cieties—Academies, Schools  and  Churches  Established  Throughout  the  County— 
The  Development  of  the  Water  Power  of  the  Hudson  and  the  Kayaderosseras. 

In  following  the  career  of  Saratoga  county  through  the  period  be- 
ginning with  the  commercial, revolution  wrought  by  reason  of  the  con- 
struction of  the  first  railroads  in  the  county  and  ending  with  the 
memorable  straggle  known  as  the  Civil  war,  or  war  of  the  Rebellion,  in 
which  the  lives  of  many  gallant  sons  of  the  county  were  sacrificed, 
one  is  impressed  by  the  fact  that  the  peaceful  development  of  the  in- 
dustry and  commerce  of  the  county,  coupled  with  the  establishment  of 


SARATOGA  SPRINGS,  1831—1861.  185 

numerous  fine  schools  and  academies  and  religious  societies,  was  riot 
marred  by  any  of  the  unpleasantnesses  which  characterized  so  many 
other  communities  during  the  same  period.  In  the  principal  villages  of 
the  county — Saratoga  Springs,  Ballston  Spa,  Mechanicville,  Waterford, 
Stillwater  and  Schuylerville — this  growth  naturally  was  more  marked 
than  elsewhere  in  the  county.  In  the  rural  districts  little  else  trans- 
pired excepting  the  increased  cultivation  of  the  soil. 

In  the  village  of  Saratoga  Springs  the  most  important  changes  and 
improvements  were  to  be  seen  in  the  erection  of  a  large  number  of 
splendid  hotels  for  the  accommodation  of  the  rapidly  increasing  num- 
ber of  summer  visitors,  and  the  laying  out  of  the  beautiful  Congress 
park,  which  for  many  years  has  been  such  an  attraction  at  this  world- 
famed  resort. 

The  most  important  of  these  magnificent  hotels  are  the  United 
States,  the  Grand  Union  and  Congress  hall.  There  are  several  others 
noted  for  their  sumptuous  entertainment  of  guests,  though  not  so  com- 
modious. 

The  Grand  Union  is  the  oldest  of  the  Saratoga  hotels.  The  story  of 
the  erection  of  the  original  hotel  by  Gideon  Putnam  has  been  told  in  a 
preceding  chapter.  It  was  first  locally  known  as  Putnam's  tavern,  and 
above  its  entrance  was  a  quaint  sign  intended  to  represent  the  entrance 
of  Israel  Putnam  into  the  wolf's  den.  After  the  death  of  Gideon  Put- 
nam in  1812,  his  widow  conducted  the  establishment  for  several  years. 
In  1836,  Rockwell  and  Washington  Putnam,  two  of  her  sons,  purchased 
the  interests  of  the  remainder  of  the  family,  named  the  hotel  Union 
hall,  and  continued  the  management  until  January,  1849.  In  that 
year  Henry  H.  Hathorn  succeeded  to  the  ownership  of  Rockwell  Put- 
nam's interest.  The  next  spring,  before  the  opening  of  the  house 
uader  the  new  management,Washington  Putnam  died,  and  his  widow  and 
Mr.  Hathorn  conducted  the  establishment  as  Putnam  &  Hathorn  until 
January,  1853,  when  Mrs.  Putnam  disposed  of  her  interest  to  Seymour 
Ainsworth.  After  one  season's  management  by  Hathorn  &  Ainsworth, 
Mr.  Hathorn,  in  January,  1854,  sold  his  interest  to  George  R.  Putnam, 
son  of,  Rockwell  Putnam,  and  Putnam  &  Ainsworth  were  the  pro- 
prietors for  two  seasons.  In  January,  1856,  Charles  H.  Payn  purchased 
Mr.  Ainsworth's  interest,  and  Putnam  &  Payn  managed  the  hotel  until 
May,  1864,  when  the  entire  property  was  sold  to  Warren  Leland. 
During  these  years  many  improvements  were  made  to  the  property. 
In  1842,  for  instance,  the  building  had  a  frontage  of  one  hundred  and 


186  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

fifty-four  feet  on  Broadway,  the  south  wing  extended  one  hundred  and 
twenty-two  feet  on  Congress  street,  the  north  wing  extended  westward 
eighty-seven  feet,  and  was  joined  to  a  structure  containing  lodging 
rooms,  called  the  "  garden  house. "  This  was  eighty-five  feet  long  and 
thirty  feet  wide.  The  sale  in  1849  was  made  on  a  basis  of  a  valuation 
of  $40,000.  In  1854  the  valuation  was  above  $80,000,  while  ten  years 
later,  so  great  had  been  the  improvements  and  the  general  increase  in 
values,  that  the  figures  had  risen  to  $200,000.  The  year  after  Warren 
Leland  purchased  the  property  he  bought  the  Ainsworth  property 
adjoining  and  added  it  to  the  hotel.  He  also  took  into  partnership 
with  him  his  brother,  Charles  Leland,  and  the  firm  of  Leland  Brothers 
continued  to  make  great  improvements  and  additions  to  their  property. 
Several  pieces  of  adjoining  property  were  purchased,  an  opera  house 
was  constructed  on  the  grounds,  many  thousands  of  dollars  were  ex- 
pended in  new  furnishings  and  luxuries  such  as  Saratoga  never  before 
had  seen,  the  old  front  was  superseded  by  a  new  one,  and  the  Grand 
Union  of  old  was  no  more.  But  these  extraordinary  expenses  quickly 
exhausted  the  resources  of  the  Lelands,  who  were  too  progressive  for 
the  times,  and  in  the  spring  of  1873  their  rapidly  increasing  troubles 
culminated  when  the  entire  real  and  personal  property  was  sold  at 
auction,  by  order  of  the  United  States  District  Court.  It  was  pur- 
chased by  Alexander  T.  Stewart,  the  merchant  prince  of  New  York, 
for  $532,000,  and  he  announced  his  intention  of  making  it  the  largest 
and  most  complete  summer  hotel  in  the  world. 

With  this  expectation  Mr.  Stewart  bought  about  a  dozen  pieces  of 
property  adjoining  the  hotel,  for  which  he  paid  $100,000.  But  the 
owners  of  two  lots  desired  by  him  refusing  to  sell,  he  was  compelled  to 
abandon  his  original  project.  Determined  to  do  all  he  could  to  im- 
prove his  new  possession,  he  removed  the  Ainsworth  building  on  the 
north  of  his  property  and  erected  a  front  there  to  correspond  with  the 
front  of  the  south  half  of  the  building,  which  had  been  erected  by 
Leland  Brothers.  He  also  completed  numerous  other  improvements 
begun  by  his  predecessors  before  their  failure.  The  hotel  to-day  is 
substantially  the  same  as  when  Mr.  Stewart  had  effected  the  changes 
therein  which  are  here  described — one  of  the  most  elegant  and  com- 
modious summer  hotels  in  the  country,  its  only  superiors  being  those 
which,  in  later  years,  have  been  erected  in  various  parts  of  the  country 
on  more  modern  principles  of  architecture. 

The  early  career  of  Congress  hall,  the  erection  of  which  was  begun 


SARATOGA  SPRINGS,  1831—1861.  187 

in  1811  by  Gideon  Putnam,  the  builder  of  the  Grand  Union,  has  been 
described  in  a  preceding  chapter.  Samuel  Drake,  who  managed  the 
hotel  for  several  years  for  Guert  Van  Schoonhoven,  the  owner,  his 
uncle,  retired  in  1828,  when  it  was  leased  by  Joseph  and  James  R. 
Westcot.  It  was  enlarged  in  1831  by  the  erection  of  an  additional  story 
to  the  south  wing.  Stephen  S.  Seaman  and  Calvin  Hunger  became 
propietors  in  1836  or  1837.  Soon  after  Seaman  died,  and  Mr.  Munger 
managed  it  until  his  death  in  1846.  In  that  year  Joshua  Collins  opened 
it  as  a  temperance  house.  Various  persons  conducted  it  until  1854, 
when' it  was  purchased  by  Henry  H.  Hathorn.  Reformed  a  partner- 
ship with  H.  P.  Hale,  and  they  made  many  improvements,  including 
the  erection  of  an  additional  story  on  the  north  wing  and  a  ball  room. 
This  hotel  was  burned  in  1866,  after  which  the  present  handsome  edifice 
was  constructed.  Like  the  Grand  Union  and  the  United  States,  it  has 
since  ranked  as  one  of  the  best  summer  hotels  in  the  country. 

The  establishment  of  the  magnificent  United  States  hotel  by  Elias 
Benedict  in  1834  has  already  been  noted.  Numerous  additions  and  im- 
provements were  made  up  to  1865,  when,  while  it  was  in  the  height  of 
its  early  glory,  it  was  destroyed  by  fire.  John  Ford,  the  first  proprietor, 
was  succeeded  in  1830  by  James  M.  Marvin.  For  one  year  after  that 
date  Ford  &  Marvin  were  the  proprietors.  In  1831  Samuel  Drake,  an 
early  proprietor  of  Congress  hall,  was  associated  with  Mr.  Marvin  in 
its  management,  but  in  1832  the  latter  was  sole  proprietor.  The  fol- 
lowing year  it  was  managed  by  Joseph  and  James  R.  Westcot  and  John 
C.  Dillon.  In  1834  Mr.  Marvin  again  took  possession,  and  from  1835 
to  1837  he  was  assisted  by  Stephen  S.  Seaman.  In  1838  the  latter  was 
succeeded  by  John  Thomas  of  Albany,  and  for  four  years  Thomas  & 
Marvin  were  the  proprietors.  In  1842  Judge  Thomas  J.  Marvin  pur- 
chased the  interests  of  Mr.  Thomas,  and  the  Marvin  brothers  main- 
tained the  house  until  the  death  of  Judge  Marvin  in  1852.  From  that 
time  until  the  burning  of  the  United  States,  June  18,  1865,  it  was 
managed  by  James  M.  Marvin. 

As  to  the  ownership  of  the  hotel  during  this  time,  Judge  Marvin 
bought  the  property  of  Mr.  Benedict,  his  uncle,  in  1832,  the  year  fol- 
lowing selling  a  half  interest  to  Lewis  Benedict  of  Albany.  These 
owners  then  allowed  Elias  Benedict  to  come  back  into  the  firm  by  pay- 
ing one-third  of  the  expense  of  the  improvements  made.  Elias  Bene- 
dict's heirs  dying,  James  M.  Marvin  secured  their  interests,  thus 
leaving  the  house  owned  in  equal  shares  by  Thomas  J.  Marvin,  James 
M.  Marvin  and  Lewis  Benedict. 


188  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  it  was  just  one  century  after  John  Arnold 
of  Rhode  Island  had  built  his  rude  log  tavern  at  the  Springs  when  the 
new  United  States  hotel  was  opened  for  guests,  to  take  the  place  of  the 
one  destroyed  by  fire.  Built  of  brick,  after  the  Norman  style  of  arch- 
itecture, the  hotel  at  that  time  undoubtedly  was  without  a  superior,  in 
point  of  elegance  and  comfort,  in  the  world.  It  covers  and  incloses 
over  seven  acres  of  ground,  and  even  to-day,  after  a  life  of  a  quarter 
of  a  century,  it  still  ranks  as  one  of  the  most  attractive  and  commodious 
summer  hotels  in  the  country. 

The  Marvin  house  was  started  in  1833  as  the  Railroad  house,  and  its 
first  proprietor  was  Mr.  Caldwell.  In  1853  it  was  purchased  by  Philip 
Snyder,  who  built  a  new  hotel,  called  the  Marvin  house,  on  the  site. 
June  18,  1869,  it  was  burned,  but  Adam  and  Daniel  Snyder,  the  pro- 
prietors, at  once  rebuilt  it  at  a  cost  of  $100,000.  It  was  opened  to 
the  public  July  33,  1866. 

The  American  hotel  was  built  about  1840  by  George  W.  Wilcox, 
who,  with  his  son-in-law,  E.  Darwin  Pitkin,  conducted  it  for  many 
years.     William  Bennett  subsequently  succeeded  to  the  management. 

The  Clarendon  hotel  was  built  in  1860  by  Mrs.  Mary  I.  Jones,  and 
opened  that  year  by  Alexander  Putnam.  Charles  E.  Leland  purchased 
it  in  1873,  after  having  managed  it  as  lessee  for  eight  years. 

The  Worden,  which  has  been  conducted  for  several  years  by  William 
W.  Worden,  is  the  leading  hotel  which  remains  open  all  the  year  round. 
It  stands  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Broadway  and  Division  street. 

The  Windsor,  on  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  William  street,  was 
built  in  1876,  and  ranks  among  the  finest  hotels  of  its  size  in  the  State. 
Like  most  of  the  others,  it  is  closed  during  the  winter  season. 

The  Adelphi  hotel  was  built  in  1877,  on  Broadway  at  the  head  of 
Phila  street.     It  remains  open  all  the  year. 

The  Commercial  is  another  hotel  which  remains  open  for  guests 
twelve  months  in  the  year.  Great  improvements  were  made  in  this 
hotel  in  1898-1899  by  the  proprietor,  John  Wandell. 

Among  the  other  hotels  in  the  village  may  be  mentioned  the  Colum- 
bian, an  attractive  resort ;  the  Holden  house,  the  Waverly,  the  Albe- 
marle, the  Bates,  the  Empire,  the  Continental,  the  Everett,  the 
Heustis  and  the  Mansion  house. 

The  rapid  growth  of  the  village  after  the  building  of  the  first  three 
great  summer  hotels  in  the  first  quarter  of  the  century  necessitated  a 
number  of  public  improvements.  The  most  important  of  these  was 
inaugurated  in  1833,  when  Dr.  John  Clark,  son  of  Saratoga's  most  pub- 


SARATOGA  SPRINGS,  1831—1861.  189 

lie  spirited  man,  began  the  construction  of  an  elaborate  water  supply- 
system — elaborate  for  those  days,  at  least.  On  the  hill  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  village,  on  the  present  site  of  Congress  Spring  park,  he 
erected,  in  that  year,  a  tower  about  fifty  feet  high.  He  also  laid 
wooden  conduits  through  the  streets  of  the  village,  from  which  connec- 
tions were  made  by  individuals  and  for  fire  purposes.  By  means  of 
pumps  water  was  raised  through  pipes  to  the  top  of  the  wooden  tower, 
in  which  was  a  reservoir,  and  passed  thence,  by  gravity,  into  the  con- 
duits. 

In  1847,  this  reservoir  and  the  pressure  being  unequal  to  the  de- 
mands made  upon  it,  a  large  reservoir  was  built  about  two  miles  from 
the  village,  in  the  town  of  Greenfield.  The  water  was  carried  to  the 
village  through  iron  pipes.  But  this  supply,  too,  soon  proved  insuffi- 
cent,  especially  during  the  summer,  and  another  reservoir,  for  fire  pur- 
poses only,  was  placed  between  the  first  one  and  the  village.  This 
proved  almost  useless,  however,  by  reason  of  the  small  supply  of  water 
and  the  low  pressure.  No  change  in  the  system  was  made,  however, 
until  the  amendment  of  the  village  charter  in  1866.  Before  this  date,  a 
fire  department,  consisting  of  hand  engines,  with  other  essential  appa- 
ratus, was  organized.     This,  too,  had  undergone  material  changes. 

In  1840  an  association  was  formed  having  for  its  object  the  establish- 
ment of  a  new  cemetery,  which  was  laid  out  in  that  year  and  named 
Green  Ridge  cemetery.  The  remains  of  many  persons  who  had  been 
buried  in  the  old  Sadler  burial  ground,  the  Putnam  burial  ground,  and 
elsewhere,  were  transferred  to  the  new  site,  and  a  number  of  hand- 
some monuments  were  placed  there  to  mark  their  resting  place.  In 
August,  1844,  the  body  of  William  L.  Stone,  the  author,  was  interred 
in  Green  Ridge — the  first  regular  burial  in  that  cemetery.  Many  of 
the  most  noted  personages  of  the  earlier  days  of  the  county  also  are 
buried  there. 

The  business  men  of  Saratoga,  realizing  how  great  would  be  the 
benefits  accruing  therefrom,  joyfully  hailed  the  organization  of  the  first 
banking  institution  in  that  village  in  1848.  This  bank,  a  private  insti- 
tution, was  established  in  accordance  with  the  general  banking  law  of 
the  State  by  Thomas  J.  Marvin  and  James  M.  Marvin  of  Saratoga 
Springs  and  Rufus  H.  King  and  J.  B.  Plumb  of  Albany.  It  had  a 
nominal  capital  of  $60,000,  and  started  in  business  with  Judge  Thomas 
J.  Marvin  as  president  and  James  M.  Marvin  as  cashier.  The  office  of 
the  bank   was  at  first  in  the  old  insurance  building  on  the  southeast 


190  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

corner  of  the  United  States  hotel  property.  Soon  after  beginning  busi- 
ness John  S.  Leake  of  the  New  York  State  bank  of  Albany  was  engaged 
as  cashier.  By  1852  the  increasing  business  necessitated  a  change  in 
the  bank,  which  then  increased  its  capital  stock  to  $100,000  and  reor- 
ganized as  an  "associate  bank,"  with  John  Beekman  Finlay  as  presi- 
dent and  John  S.  Leake  as  cashier.  Four  years  later  Dr.  Samuel  Free- 
man became  president,  remaining  in  that  office  until  his  death  in  1870. 
He  was  succeeded  by  James  M.  Marvin. 

In  1878  Augustus  Bockes  was  made  president  and  his  son,  William 
Hay  Bockes,  became  cashier.  In  1894  James  M.  Marvin  again  became 
president  and  fills  the  position  at  the  present  day.  Henry  B.  Hanson 
is  vice-president  and  William  Hay  Bockes  cashier.  The  capital  stock 
of  the  bank  was  increased  in  1885  from  $100,000  to  $125,000.  The 
bank  owns  its  banking  house  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Broadway  and 
Phila  street. 

Another  important  step  in  the  direction  of  public  improvement  was 
the  organization,  in  1854,  of  the  Saratoga  Gaslight  company.  This 
concern  was  incorporated  with  a  capital  stock  of  $75,000  and  these 
directors:  L.  H.  Tupper,  J.  M.  Corliss,  T.  M.  Lockwood,  S.  S.  Dauchy, 
John  S.  Manning,  S.  G.  Clements  and  R.  D.  Bardwell.  In  the  year  of 
its  organization  the  company  began  the  work  of  erecting  a  large  gas 
manufacturing  plant  and  laying  pipes  through  the  streets  of  Saratoga 
Springs  for  the  purpose  of  distributing  the  commodity  to  the  patrons 
of  the  company." 

A  circuit  called  Saratoga  was  organized  by  the  M.  E.  church  in  1791, 
taking  its  name  from  the  county.  Methodist  services  were  not  intro- 
duced into  the  town  until  1829,  when  Rev.  Mr.  Stebbins  occasionally 
preached  in  the  place,  there  being  but  two  resident  Methodists  there  at 
the  time.     In  1830,  under  the  ministry  of  Rev.  Dr.  Stoiuel  Luckey," 

■  This  company  was  reorganized  in  1876  with  a  capital  stock  of  $40,000  and  these  officers:  Will- 
iam Bennett,  James  R.  Chapman  and  Charles  H.  Holden.  March  1,  1887,  the  name  was  changed 
to  the  Saratoga  Gas  and  Electric  Light  company,  the  addition  to  the  name  showing  the  expansion 
of  the  business.  The  company  failed  November  29, 1893,  and  went  into  the  hands  of  Lafayette  -B. 
Gleason  of  New  York  city  as  receiver.  April  7  on  default  of  $11,000  interest  and  maturing  bonds 
the  concern  was  sold  to  the  bondholders'  committee.  In  March,  1897,  the  company  was  reorgan- 
ized under  the  name  of  the  Saratoga  Gas,  Electric  Light  and  Power  company  on  a  financial  basis 
of  $200,000  first  mortgage  bonds,  $300,000  preferred  stock  and  $100,000  common  stock.  The  present 
officers  are:  President,  Edgar  T.  Bracket!  of  Saratoga;  vioe-presidentj  Alexander  W.  Smith  of 
New  York;  secretary  and  treasurer,  Osborn  W.  Bright;  superintendent,  Patrick  F.  Roohan  of 
Saratoga. 

2  Samuel  Luckey,  D.D.,  was  born  at  Rensselaerville,  N.  Y.,  April  4,  1791,  and  entered  the 
traveling  ministry  of  the  M.  E.  church  in  1811.  In  1832,  two  years  after  the  organization  of  the 
church  at  Saratoga,  he  was  elected  principal  of  the  Genesee  Wesleyan  Seminary,  and  in  1836  he 


SARATOGA  SPRINGS,  1831—1861.  191 

the  first  M.  E.  church  edifice  was  erected.  Up  to  the  inauguration  of 
the  annual  conferences  of  the  M.  E.  church  in  1835,  Saratoga  Springs 
was  one  of  the  appointments  of  what  was  then  called  Stillwater  circuit, 
comprising  Greenfield,  Wilton,  Schuylerville,  Malta  Ridge,  Clifton 
Park,  Stillwater  and  Saratoga  Springs.  For  three  or  four  years  before 
this  Rev.  J.  D.  Moriarty  preached  here.  On  the  former  date  the  con- 
gregation worshiped  in  the  old  church  on  North  Broadway.  In  June, 
1840,  the  conference  made  Saratoga  Springs  a  regular  station,  with 
Ephraim  Goss  as  missionary  in  charge.  The  church  edifice,  built  in 
that  year,  was  dedicated  in  1841.' 

In  1834  the  first  mass  ever  celebrated  in  Saratoga  Springs  was  con- 
ducted by  Rev.  John  Kelly,  pastor  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church  at 
Sandy  Hill.  For  seven  years  after  that  date  there  was  no  resident 
priest  here  and  no  stated  time  for  the  services,  which  were  held  from 
time  to  time.  Rev.  Father  McCloskey,  who  became  pastor  of  the 
Schenectady  church  in  1838,  celebrated  mass  occasionally,  as  did  Rev. 
Peter  Havermans  of  Troy,  and  others.  The  former  took  the  first  steps 
toward  organizing  the  congregation.  September  13,  1839,  John  Costi- 
gan  purchased  of  Thomas  J.  Marvin  the  lot  on  which  St.  Peter's  church 
now  stands,  with  the  building  on  it,  known  as  the  Lyceum.  This  was 
at  once  converted  into  a  Catholic  house  of  worship ;  but  it  was  not  until 
September,  1843,  that  the  young  church  had  its  first  regular  pastor. 
In  that  year  Rev.  Anthony  Farley  became  the  first  priest  in  charge, 
but  in  May  of  the  following  year  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Father  Dono- 
hue.  He  was  succeeded  in  November,  1844,  by  Rev.  Bernard  Van 
Reeth,  who  in  turn  was  succeeded  in  the  summer  of  1847  by  Rev. 
Thomas  Daly.  In  July,  1850,  Father  Cull  assumed  charge,  and  at  once 
set  himself  to  the  task  of  building  a  new  church  for  his  flock.  This 
was  dedicated  August  15,  1853,  by  Monseigneur  Bedini,  then  apostolic 
delegate  to  the  United  States,  and  Archbishop  Hughes.     Father  Cull 

was  elected  editor  of  the  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal,  in  New  York.  Shortly  retiring  from 
the  editorship  he  returned  to  the  Genesee  conference,  where  he  remained  until  his  death  October 
11, 1869.    He  also  served  as  a  Regent  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York. 

1  The  first  house  of  worship,  erected  in  1830,  stood  near  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Green- 
field avenue.  It  was  used  as  an  academy  by  E.  K.  Bangs,  and  later  as  a  boarding  house,  after 
the  society  abandoned  it  in  1839.  The  church  built  in  1840  and  1841  was  dedicated  July  33  of  the 
latter  year  by  Dr.  John  Kennedy  of  Philadelphia  and  Dr.  Noah  Levings  of  New  York,  Rev.  Ste- 
phen Remington  of  Schenectady  preaching  the  sermon.  The  church  struggled  under  a  heavy 
debt  for  many  years  after  this,  and  it  was  not  wiped  out  until  1865,  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev. 
C.  F.  Burdick.  In  1855,  while  Rev.  Dr.  Bostwick  Hawley  was  pastor,  the  house  of  worship  was 
considerably  enlarged  and  otherwise  improved.  The  church  was  rebuilt  on  Washington  street 
in  1870  and  dedicated  by  Bishop  James,  March  20,  1871. 


192  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

did  not  stop  when  he  had  built  the  church.  He  also  procured  a  pastoral 
residence  and  cemetery,  purchased  the  Hugh  Dennin  property,  spent 
a  considerable  sum  on  improvements  thereto,  and  introduced  a  branch 
of  the  Sisters  of  St.  Joseph,  to  take  charge  of  the  parochial  schools. 
He  was  one  of  the  most  valued  members  of  the  community  for  many 
years. " 

Saratoga  Springs  has  ever  been  celebrated  for  its  excellent  schools 
public  and  private.  One  of  the  best  known  and  most  widely  patron- 
ized private  schools  in  the  State  of  New  York  for  many  years  was  the 
boarding  and  day  school  for  young  ladies  opened  by  the  Misses  Way- 
land  in  Saratoga  in  1831.  It  stood  on  the  corner  of  Broadway  and 
Washington  street,  the  site  now  covered  by  a  portion  of  the  Grand 
Union  hotel.  The  number  of  pupils  was  always  limited,  and  every 
lady  placed  in  charge  of  the  Misses  Wayland  was  educated  as  in  a 
home."  The  second  noted  private  school  at  the  Springs  was  that  opened 
in  1854  by  Mr,  Carter,  also  for  the  education  of  young  ladies.  Rev. 
Luther  F.  Beecher  became  Mr.  Carter's  partner  in  the  enterprise  the 
year  following,  and  in  1856  they  built  the  institution  at  Temple  Grove. 
The  school  did  not  pay,  and  nine  years  afterward  the  building  was  sold 
for  hotel  and  school  purposes  combined.  This  undertaking,  too,  was 
not  successful  and  the  school  was  suspended.' 

Other  schools  existed  in  this  village  during  the  period  under  discus- 
sion, but  the  school  of  the  Misses  Wayland  and  Temple  Grove  Semi- 
nary were  the  most  important  in  the  village.  Miss  Martha  Thompson, 
daughter  of  Dr.  Thompson,  had  a  young  ladies'  school  in  the  northern 

*  Rev.  Father  Cull  died  January  3, 1873.  Five  years  before  that  date  he  retired  from  the  active 
work  of  the  priesthood,  and  in  January,  1868,  Rev.  Father  Sheehan  succeeded  him.  In  1870,  dur- 
ing the  pastorate  of  the  latter,  the  church  was  incorporated  under  the  title  of  St,  Peter's  church, 
by  Bishop  John  J.  Conroy  of  Albany,  Edgar  E,  Wadhams,  V,  G,,  M,  Sheehan,  the  pastor;  John 
Foley  and  B,  McGovern, 

'  This  school  was  removed  in  1875  to  Putnam  street,  in  the  rear  of  Congress  Hall,  Three 
years  later  its  doors  were  closed  by  reason  of  changes  in  the  family  circle  which  rendered  this  act 
necessary. 

'  Rev.  Charles  F,  Dowd  saw  a  future  for  a  ladies'  seminary  here,  however,  and  in  1808  he  pur- 
chased the  Grove  property,  made  extensive  alterations  and  additions  to  the  building,  and 
equipped  it  thoroughly  for  the  purposes  for  which  it  was  originally  intended.  In  1869  the  school 
was  incorporated  under  the  supervision  of  the  Regents  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New 
York.  The  ofiHcers  of  the  school  named  in  the  charter  were:  President,  Rev.  CharlesP.  Dowd, 
A.  M,;  vice-president,  Re'v.  John  Woodbridge;  Benjamin  F,  Bancroft,  treasurer;  Henry  M.  Dowd, 
secretary;  Hon.  Frederick  A.  Conkling,  Rev.  P.  R.  Day,  Rev,  L.  M,  Woodruff,  Rev.  John  P,  Gib- 
son, Hon.  Charles  S,  Lester,  Alexander  Cherry,  Prof,  Hiram  A.  Wilson,  Charles  N,  Lockwood 
and  Paoli  Durkee,  trustees.  The  grounds  of  the  seminary  occupy  the  entire  square  on  Spring 
street,  between  Circular  and  Regent  streets.  Prof.  Dowd  retired  from  active  control  of  the  Semi- 
nary in  1898,  leaving  it  in  charge  of  his  son,  Frank  D,  Dowd. 


SARATOGA  SPRINGS,  1831—1861.  193 

part  of  the  village  for'  several  years.  Elijah  K.  Bangs,  who  bought 
the  old  Methodist  meeting-house  for  a  school  building  in  1839,  had 
already  been  maintaining,  for  three  years,  an  excellent  school  for  boys. 
From  1838  to  1839  he  had  a  school  at  Hempstead,  Long  Island,  but  in 
the  latLer  year  returned  and  reopened  his  Saratoga  school,  teaching 
here  until  1845.  Paoli  Durkee  opened  a  classical  school  for  boys  in 
1849,  maintaining  it  for  nine  years.' 

Rising  Sun  lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  whicli  was  removed  from  the  town  of 
Wilton  to  the  village  of  Saratoga  Springs  in  1824,  had  a  precarious  ex- 
istence for  many  years.  During  the  period  of  the  great  anti-Masonic 
agitation  it  ceased  to  exist,  from  1830  to  1835.  In  the  latter  year  an 
attempt  to  revive  it  failed,  and  this  experience  was  repeated  several 
times  until  December  16,  1844,  when  the  Grand  lodge  granted  a  dis- 
pensation for  the  organization  of  a  lodge  to  be  known  as  Union  lodge, 
which  was  to  cease  May  15,  1845.  On  the  day  preceding  that  date  a 
petition  requesting  the  revival  of  Rising  Sun  lodge  was  sent  to  the 
Grand  lodge.  This  prayer  was  granted  and  the  next  month  the  lodge 
was  revived  and  renumbered  as  Rising  Sun  lodge  No.  103,  F.  &  A.  M. 
Since  that  date  it  has  continued  in  successful  operation,  and  to-day  is 
one  of  the  strongest  Masonic  lodges  in  the  State.  The  charter  memr 
bers  of  the  revived  lodge  were  G.  M.  Davison,  Robert  McDonnell, 
Alvah  Marvin,  Gardner  Bullard,  D.  D.  Benedict,  Joseph  White  and 
Joseph  M.  Wheeler.     D.  D.  Benedict  was  the  first  worshipful  master. 

Rising  Sun  Chapter  No.  131,  R.  A.  M.,  was  instituted  February  2, 
1847.  The  charter  officers  were:  H.  R,  Joseph  M.  Wheeler;  K.,  D. 
D.  Benedict;  S.,  Richard  L.  Allen. 

Cryptic  Council  No.  37,  R.  &  S.  M.,  was  instituted  February  1,  1870. 
The  charter  officers  were:  T.  I.  M.,  C.  H.  Holden;  R.  I.  D.  M.,  L.  B. 
Putnam;  I.  P.  C.  W.,  G.  H.  Gillis, 

Washington  Commandery,  No.  33,  K.  T.,  was  organized  September 
14,  1864.  The  charter  members  were  Hon.  Reuben  Hyde  Walworth, 
H.  V.  Sayles,  C.  H.  Holden,  George  B.  Fish,  H.  A.  Van  Dorn,  L.  B. 
Putnam,  W.  R.  Winchell,  T.  G.  Young,  C.  E.  Durkee,  C.  H.  Brown, 
Charles  Carpenter,  R.  C.  Blackall  and  F.  T.  Parkman.  The  command- 
ery has  since  become  one  of  the  strongest  in  this  section  of  the  State. 
The  following  have  been  the  commanders :  1864-1865,  George  B.  Fish ; 

>  After  the  latter  year  this  school  was  successively  taught  by  Rev.  Mr.  Proudfit  and  Mr.  Robb. 
The  late  Rev.  Dr.  J.  N.  Crocker,  a  Presbyterian  clergyman,  had  a  good  school  here  for  several 
years.    There  were  many  oth^r  ^rnall  private  schools  in  the  village. 
13 


194  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

1866-1872,  Charles  H.  Holden;  1873,  F.  D.  Wheeler,  jr.;  1874,  George 
H.  Gillis;  1875,  Charles H.  Sturges;  1876,  John  L.  Perry;  1877,  Charles 
H.  Holden;  1878-1885,  Robert  C.  McEwen;  1886-1887,  Charles  H. 
Holden;  1888-1889,  J.  M.  Colcord;  1890-1891,  H.  L.  Waterbury;  1892- 
1893,  A.  P.  Knapp;  1894,  John  Bennett. 

Saratoga  lodge  No.  15, 1.  O.  O.  F.,  was  instituted  November  17, 1843. 
The  present  charter  was  granted  December  1,  1850.  The  first  officers 
elected  were:  N.  G.,  C.  W.  Burlingame;  V.  G.,  A.  S.  Piper;  R.  S.,  C.N. 
Maynard;  P.  S.,  O.  T.  Sparks:  treasurer,  A.  R.  Barrett;  trustees,  F.T. 
Hill,  A.  S.  Hays,  A.  J.  Holmes. 

Saratoga  Division,  Sons  of  Temperance,  was  instituted  in  1842  or 
1843,  but  ceased  to  exist  after  a  few  years.  Another  division  was  or- 
ganized in  1858  and  still  another  in  1868.  The  latter  died  out  about 
1873. 

While  Saratoga  was  prospering  as  a  summer  resort,  Ballston  Spa  was 
enjoying  great  industrial  advancement.  When  Hezekiah  Middlebrook 
constructed  a  dam  across  the  Kayaderosseras  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  village  and  erected  the  old  "Blue  Mills,"  as  they  are  known  to  this 
day,  he  assisted  materially  in  giving  added  momentum  to  the  wave  of 
prosperity  which  had  begun  to  be  felt  in  the  growing  village.  These 
mills  were  extensive  grist  mills,  and  for  years  were  the  most  important 
in  the  county.  The  original  grist  mill  erected  by  Daniel  Thomas  was 
located  about  a  third  of  a  mile  further  up  the  stream. 

In  1836  Jonathan  S.  Beach  and  Harvey  Chapman  bought  seventy-two  acres  of 
land,  east  of  Milton  avenue,  between  Malta  avenue  and  the  railroad,  near  North 
High  street,  including  all  the  water  power  of  the  lower  dam  now  occupied  by  Mr: 
West.  Soon  after  this  purchase  they  built  the  west  mill  of  the  three  on  the  island ; 
this  was  opened  and  operated  as  a  woolen  mill  for  a  few  years,  but  finally  discon- 
tinued. About  the  year  1840  Beach  &  Chapman  erected  the  second  or  middle  build- 
ing upon  the  island ;  they  sold  it  in  a  short  time  to  P.  H.  McOmber,  and  he  trans- 
ferred it  finally  to  Samuel  H.  Cook.  This  was  a  cotton  mill  and  it  was  in  operation 
down  to  the  year  of  1861.  In  the  year  1844  Beach  &  Chapman  erected  the  third  mill, 
the  one  now  run  by  Mr.  West  as  a  paper  mill ;  they  soon  sold'  this,  with  the  water 
power  and  land  still  remaining  to  them,  to  James  M.  Cook.  This  was  also  a  cotton 
mill,  and  was  operated  until  1861.  All  of  this  island  property  was  then  bought  by 
Jonas  Hovey. 

The  Ballston  Spa  Mill  Company  was  formed  in  1838  to  1840,  consisting  of  Jon- 
athan S.  Beach,  Harvey  Chapman,  James  Thompson,  John  W.  Thompson,  George 
Thompson,  Lebbeus  Booth  and  others ;  they  bought  the  land  and  water-power  west 
of  Milton  street,  north  of  Gordon  creek,  and  south  of  the  Blood  and  Thomas  prop- 
erty. This  was  purchased  of  the  Middlebrook  family.  In  early  times  Daniel 
Thomas  and  Hezekiah  Middlebrook  had  owned  together  a  very  large  tract  in  and 


BALLSTON  SPA,  1831—1861.  195 

around  the  northern  portion  of  the  present  village.  They  divided  the  property, 
Middlebrook  retaining  the  water-power  and  Thomas  taking  the  lands,  covered  then 
with  valuable  pine  timber.  In  after  years  the  water  privileges  became  far  more  val- 
uable than  the  other.  The  Ballston  Spa  Mill  company  did  not  continue  as  a  cor- 
poration, but  the  parties  named  above  as  joint  proprietors  erected  the  Union  cotton 
mill,  sometimes  known  as  No.  1.  The  mill  was  operated  by  Ziba  H.  Cook  and 
others  for  manufacturing  print  cloths  until  about  the  year  1855.  The  same  proprie- 
tors built  the  brick  mill  on  the  hill,  the  one  now  occupied  by  Mr.  West  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  paper  bags.  This  was  opened  for  a  knitting  mill,  operated  by  H.  Chap- 
man &  Son,  also  by  Bassett  and  Hiro  Jones;  the  latter  owning  the  real  estate.  It 
was  sold,  as  was  the  other  factory,  to  Jonas  Hovey  in  1864-65.  Mr.  Hovey,  having 
thus  become  the  owner  of  all  these  mills,  operated  them,  to  a  greater  or  less  extent, 
until  the  time  of  his  death  in  1873.  In  connection  with  his  extensive  operations 
here,  he  built  the  residence  now  owned  by  George  West.  On  this  house  is  said  to 
have  been  expended  $50,000. 

Bfeach  &  Chapman  also  built  about  the  year  1850  a  woolen  mill,  known  as  the  Glen 
woolen  mill  property,  now  owned  by  Edwin  H.  Chapman.  It  has  been  occupied  by 
Chapman  and  others  as  a  blanket  and  cloth  mill  to  the  present  time.' 

About  1850  Messrs.  Booth,  Wait,  Moore,  Wakeman  and  Thomas 
opened  an  extensive  oil -cloth  manufactory,  which  was  operated  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  turning  out  large  quantities  of  a  high  grade  of  oil- 
cloth." Several  other  manufacturing  concerns  were  doing  business  in 
town  before  the  war,  but  those  referred  to  were  considered  the  most 
important. 

The  hamlet  of  Bloodville,  now  a  part  of  Ballston  Spa,  has  been  an 
important  manufacturing  point  since  1824.  In  that  year  Isaiah  Blood' 
began  the  erection  of  a  scythe  factory,  in  partnership  with  his  father, 
Sylvester  Blood.  The  latter  in  that  year  purchased  the  splendid  water 
power  on  the  Kayaderosseras  creek  at  that  point,  manufacturing  scythes 
at  that  place  in  connection  with  his  old  factory  below  Ballston  Spa. 
About  1837,  having  purchased  the  interest  of  his  father,  he  greatly 
increased  the  facilities  of  the  plant,  and  added  a  department  for  the 
manufacture  of  axes.     He  erected  a  large  factory  just  below  the  scythe 

'  Sylvester's  History  of  Saratoga  County.— 1878. 

'  This  factory  was  turned  in  1875  and  never  rebuilt. 
^Isaiah  Blood,  born  at  Ballston,  February  13,  1810,  was  a  son  of  Sylvester  Blood,  who  began 
the  manufacture  of  scj-'thes  about  1805  two  miles  south  of  Ballston  Spa.  In  1831  he  married  Jane 
E.  Gates  of  Ballston,  and  soon  formed  a  partnership  with  his  father.  In  1837  he  bought  out  the 
latter's  interest  and  at  once  began  enlarging  the  business,  adding  a  department  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  axes.  He  was  a  lifelong  Democrat.  In  1847  he  was  elected  supervisor  of  the  town  of 
Milton,  which  generally  gave  a  Whig  majority;  in  1851  was  elected  to  the  Assembly  from  the  first 
Saratoga  district ;  in  1859  was  again  chosen  supervisor ;  in  the  same  year  was  elected  to  the  State 
Senate  from  the  fifteenth  district ;  in  1869  was  again  elected  senator,  and  died  November  29,  1870, 
before  the  expiration  of  his  term.  Albert  P.  Blood  of  Ballston  Spa,  who  died  in  April,  1898,  was 
a  son. 


196  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

shop  for  this  department,'  and  immediately  gave  employment  to  a 
greatly  increased  force  of  men.  He  continued  to  increase  the  output 
of  his  great  plant  until  his  death  in  1870,  when  the  concern  passed  into 
the  hands  of  his  son-in-law,  Henry  Knickerbocker  of  New  York.' 

Ballston  Spa  enjoyed  home  banking  facilities  at  an  early  day.  The 
Ballston  Spa  Bank,  the  first  in  town,  was  organized  in  1838  by  the  elec- 
tion of  these  directors:  James  M.  Cook,  Isaac  Frink,  Anson  Brown, 
Lebbeus  Booth,  Jonathan  S.  Beach,  Samuel  Freeman,  Eli  Barnum, 
John  W.  Thompson,  Stephen  Smith,  John  Kelley,  Harvey  Chapman, 
Philip  H.  McOmber  and  Samuel  Hides.  They  elected  James  M.  Cook 
president,  Isaac  Fowler  cashier,  and  John  J.  Lee  teller.  May  15,  1839, 
the  bank  opened  its  doors  for  business." 

Three  churches  were  erected  in  Ballston  Spa  during  the  period  to 
which  this  chapter  is  devoted.  These  were  the  Presbyterian  church 
which  is  still  standing,  the  Methodist  church  and  the  Catholic  church, 
which  have  since  been  superseded  by  handsome  new  edifices.  The 
First  Presbyterian  church  was  organized  in  June,  1834,  by  families  who 
had  been  attending  services  at  Ballston  Centre  and  Milton  Centre.  At 
the  preliminary  meeting  held  May  10,  1834,  sixty  six  members  pre- 
sented letters  from  the  two  churches  named  and  signed  the  member- 
ship roll.  July  8  following  Philip  H.  McOmber,  Jonathan  S.  Beach, 
Edward  W.  Lee,  Moses  Williams,  James  Comstock  and  Christopher 
Earle  were  elected  trustees.  The  following  year  the  house  of  worship 
was  erected  at  the  northeast  corner  of  High  and  Bath  streets,  at  a  cost 
of  $10,000,  and  was  dedicated  in  November  of  that  year.  In  1856  a 
parsonage  was  purchased  at  an  expense  of  nearly  $3,000,  and  in  1860 
Samuel  H.  Cook  erected  a  chapel  on  Milton  avenue,  on  the  site  of  the 
present  chapel.'    The   Methodist  Episcopal  church  was  not  formally 

'  The  plant  is  now  owned  by  the  American  Axe  and  Tool  company.  The  real  estate  of  the 
corporation  is  valued  at  $79,450. 

'  In  1865  the  institution  was  reorganized  as  a  national  bank,  taking  the  name  of  Ballston  Spa 
National  Bank.  Its  capital  stock  is  $100,000.  The  presidents  havu  been :  James  IM.  Cook,  1839- 
1856  ;  John  W.  Thompson,  1856-1893  ;  George  L.  Thompson,  1893-1896  (the  year  of  his'  death) ;  An- 
drew S.  Booth,  1896  to  the  present  time.  James  L.  Scott,  vice-president,  acted  as  president  for  a 
short  time  in  1896  during  the  last  illness  of  President  George  L.  Thompson,  who  died  December 
39,  1895.  The  cashiers  have  been  :  Isaac  Fowler,  1839-1856 ;  John  J.  Lee,  1856-1887 ;  George  L.  Thomp- 
son, 1887-1893 ;  Thomas  Kerley,  1893  to  the  present  time.  William  Ingham  and  William  H.  Ball 
are  the  present  vice-presidents,  Egbert  Clute  is  teller,  and  C.  O.  MoCreedy,  jr.,  clerk. 

'  This  chapel  was  torn  down  several  years  ago  and  a  new  one  erected  in  its  place.  The 
pastors  have  been:  Revs.  James  Wood,  Samuel  J.  Prime,  A.  T.  Chester,  Daniel  Stewart,  George 
T.  Todd,  Nathaniel  S.  Prime,  Richard  H.  Steele,  Nathaniel  B.  Klink,  David  TuUy,  S.  Mattoon,  S. 
A.  Hoyt,  jr.,  David  Murdock,  A.  R.  Olney,  D.  D.,  and  Henry  L.  Teller,  the  present  occupant  of 
the  pulpit. 


REV.  BERNARD  J.  MCDONOUGH. 


BALLSTON  SPA,  1831—1861.  197 

organized  until  1836,  though  a  class  existed  in  the  village  as  early  as 
1823,  when  Ballston  Spa  and  Saratoga  Springs  were  together  for  one 
year,  with  William  Anson  and  Elisha  P.  Jacobs,  supernumerary,  as 
preachers.  After  this  nothing  is  known  except  that  a  preacher  named 
Clark  held  class  meetings  until  August  25,  1836,  when  a  society  was 
organized.  It  purchased  the  old  academy  building,  which  stood  near 
the  spot  now  occupied  by  the  D.  &  H.  railroad  turntable,  moved  it  to 
the  corner  of  West  High  and  Charlton  streets  and  remodeled  it  into  a 
house  of  worship.  Rev.  Noah-  Levings  preached  the  dedicatory  ser- 
mon. In  1845  a  brick  church  was  built  on  the  site  of  the  present  edi- 
fice on  Milton  avenue,  and  the  old  academy  building  was  sold  to  the 
Catholic  congregation. ' 

There  is  little  to  be  learned  by  whom  Catholic  services  were  held  in 
Ballston  Spa  prior  to  1849,  but  at  this  date  we  learn  that  Father  Haver- 
mans  celebrated  mass  on  Ash  Wednesday.  The  meetings  were  held  at 
this  time  in  the  old  Methodist  meeting-house  which  the  Catholics  had 
purchased.  The  cornerstone  of  a  new  church  was  laid  in  December, 
1859,  under  the  pastorate  of  Father  Cull,  and  was  at  that  time  located 
on  the  east  side  of  Church  street,  the  property  which  is  now  owned  by 
ex-Sheriff  D.  F.  Winney,  and  subsequently  removed  to  its  present 
location,  which  property  was  purchased  at  a  cost  of  $10,500.  In  1867 
Rev.  Anthony  McGough  became  pastor  of  this  charge,  prior  to  which  ' 
it  had  been  under  the  supervision  of  the  Saratoga  Springs  pastorate. 
Father  McGough  remained  in  charge  until  1873,  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Rev.  Father  Bayard,  who  continued  in  charge  until  October 
6,  1878,  when  Rev.  Bernard  J.  McDonough  commenced  what  has 
proved  a  most  acceptable  and  fortunate  pastorate  for  St.  Mary's  so- 
ciety. An  idea  of  the  wonderful  and  continuous  growth  of  this  society 
is  gained  from  the  fact  that  its  membership  now  numbers  more  than 
two  hundred  and  fifty  families. 

The  new  church  edifice  recently  Completed  is  one  of  the  finest  in 
Saratoga  county,  having  cost  over  $60,000.     It  was  designed  by  Archi- 

1  In  1892-1893  a  handsome  new  church,  of  brick,  was  built  on  the  site  of  the  old  one,  during  the 
pastorate  of  Rev.  Joseph  C.  Russum.  Half  the  coat  of  its  construction  was  contributed  by  ex- 
Congressman  George  West,  a  member  of  the  church.  The  corner-stone  was  laid  October  19, 
1893,  and  the  church  was  dedicated  October  2.3,  1893.  January  4, 1893,  N.  R.  Vandenburgh,  one  of 
the  contractors  employed  in  building  the  church,  fell  from  a  plank  in  the  incomplete  building 
and  fractured  his  skull,  which  caused  his  death  January  7  following.  The  first  pastor  who  served 
this  church  exclusively  was  Rev.  S.  L.  Stillman,  Who  came  in  1846  and  remained  one  year.  Dur- 
ing the  pastorate  of  Rev.  W.  H.  Washburn,  1883-1885,  West  chapel  was  built  through  the  liber- 
ality of  Hon.  George  West. 


198  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

tect  E.  W.  Loth  of  Troy,  N.  Y. ,  and  erected  under  the  supervision  of 
Dennis  Manogue  of  Ballston  Spa.  The  foundation  of  this  imposing 
structure  wis  commenced  July  29,  1895,  this  being  the  day  that  marked 
the  close  of  a  quarter  of  a  century  of  active  work  in  priesthood  by  the 
pastor,  Rev.  Father  B.  J.  McDonough.  The  church  is  situated  at  the 
corner  of  Milton  avenue  and  Van  Buren  street.  Its  dimensions  are: 
Length,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet;  width,  sixty-eight  feet; 
gables,  sixty  feet  high;  tower,  one  hundred  and  seventy-eight  feet 
high.     Its  style  is  Gothic  and  its  furnishings  are  in  hard  wood. 

The  early  schools  of  Ballston  Spa  and  the  establishment  of  the  pres- 
ent Union  school  system  under  the  direction  of  Prof.  Thomas  C. 
Bunyan  have  been  described  in  a  preceding  chapter.  In  addition  to 
the  admirable  public  schools  of  the  village,  there  is  an  excellent  and 
well-patronized  private  school,  which  has  been  conducted  for  several 
years  by  Miss  Almeda  James. 

An  institution  which  once  gave  promise  of  becoming  an  important 
feature  among  the  many  worthy  enterprises  of  Saratoga  county  was 
the  "State  and  National  Law  School,"  established  by  JohnW.  Fowler 
in  the  old  Sans  Souci  hotel  at  Ballston  Spa  in  1849.  In  his  history  of 
the  Bench  and  Bar  of  Saratoga  County  Enos  R.  Mann  refers  to  this 
school  as  follows : 

Mr.  Fowler  opened  it  with  a  full  corps  of  competent  professors  and  secured  an 
abundant  patronage.  Among  the  graduates  may  be  mentioned  the  names  of  Col. 
Slocum  of  the  1st  Rhode  Island  Infantry,  who  fell  at  the  head  of  his  regiment  fight- 
ing at  Bull  Run ;  Governor  Gilbert  C.  Walker  of  Virginia,  Judge  Abraham  R.  Law- 
rence, Surrogate  Delano  C.  Calvin  and  Gen.  Roger  A.  Pryor  of  New  York,  and  ex- 
Judge  Samuel  D.  Morris  of  Brooklyn — an  alumni  that  would  reflect  honor  on  any 
institution.  At  the  commencement  in  1850,  there  were  present  ex-President  Van 
Buren,  Governor  Hamilton  Fish,  and  the  great  Kentucky  commoner,  Henry  Clay. 
The  latter  made  a  memorable  address  to  the  students,  addressing  through  them  for 
the  last  time  the  young  men  of  America  in  words  of  earnest  counsel  to  be  true  to 
themselves  and  their  country.  But  the  projector  of  this  law  school,  to  balance  all 
his  other  attainments,  lacked  what  Gen.  McCook  called  a  "  level  head."  He  was 
very  improvident,  knowing  nothing  of  the  financial  problems  conducive  to  success, 
and.  after  three  years  of  active  and  useful  life,  the  institution  went  into  bankruptcy. 

Franklin  lodge  No.  90,  F.  &  A.  M.,  was  chartered  by  the  Grand  lodge 
June  3,  1842.  It  succeeded  and  took  the  name  of  Franklin  lodge  No. 
37,  which,  founded  in  Ballston  in  1794,  forfeited  its  charter  in  1834. 
Some  of  its  original  members  were  also  identified  with  Friendship 
lodge  No.  118,  of  Milton,  which  surrendered  its  charter  in  1836." 

'  These  lodges  are  referred  to  more  at  length  in  a  preceding  chapter. 


BALLSTON  SPA,  1831—1861.  199 

For  a  period  of  seven  years,  from  1835  to  1842,  there  was  no  Masonic 
organization  in  Ballston  Spa.  Nearly  all  the  members  of  Franklin 
lodge,  No.  37,  and  of  Friendship  lodge.  No.  118,  became  members  of 
the  new  lodge,  which  has  maintained  its  regular  communications  in 
this  village  to  the  present  time..  In  the  proceedings  of  the  Grand 
lodge,  under  date  of  June  3,  1842,  is  found  the  following: 

The  Committee  on  warrants  reported  in  favor  of  granting  a  warrant  to  constitute 
a  Lodge  at  Ballston,  in  the  county  of  Saratoga,  by  the  name  of  Franklin  Lodge,  of 
which  Bro.  Wm  Saunders  is  to  be  first  Master;  Bro.  Wm.  Hawkins,  S.  W.,  and  Bro. 
Joseph  Jennings,  J.  W.,  and  that  the  property  of  the  late  Franklin  Lodge,  No.  37, 
be  returned  to  said  new  Lodge,  on  payment  of  the  usual  fee  for  the  Warrant. 

Franklin  lodge  has  numbered  among  its  members  several  brethren 
who  have  attained  high  positions  among  the  fraternity,  and  in  the 
civil  walks  of  life.  Of  the  latter  Bro.  James  M.  Cook,  who  received 
the  Masonic  degrees  in  this  lodge,  was  for  several  years  superintendent 
of  the  State  Banking  Department,  and  also  represented  his  district  in 
both  houses  of  the  State  Legislature.  He  was  buried  with  Masonic 
honors,  and  his  remains  now  rest  in  the  cemetery  in  this  village. 
Among  those  whom  the  craft  have  delighted  to  honor,  we  find  the  names 
of  W.  Bro.  George  Babcock,  at  one  time  grand  commander  of  the 
Knights  Templar  in  this  State ;  W.  Bro.  Seth  Whalen,  district  deputy 
grand  lecturer  for  two  years,  and  master  of  the  lodge  for  seven  years; 
and  R.  W.  Jonathan  S.  Smith,  district  deputy  grand  master,' 

'  The  iirst  ofttcers  o£  Franklin  lodge,  at  the  time  o£  its  organization,  were:  William  Saunders, 
W.  M.;  William  Hawkins,  S.  W.;  Joseph  Jennings,  J.  W.  In  1843  these  officers  held  the  same 
chairs,  in  addition  to  which  William  Ford  was  treasurer,  Stephen  Fox  was  secretary,  Stephen 
Seaman  was  S.  D.,  Reuben  Thompson  was  J,  D.  and  Joseph  Kelso  was  tiler.  Since  that  date  the 
masters  of  this  lodge  have  been:  1844,  William  Hawkins;  1845,  Joseph  Jennings;  1846,  Abel  Meeker; 
1947,  S.  A.  Emerson;  I»i8-l»t9,  Reuben  Westcot;  1850,  Abel  Meeker;  1851,  Harvey  N.  Hill;  1862, 
Abel  Meeker;  1833,  George  Babcock;  1854,  Harvey  N.  Hill;  1855,  Abel  Meeker;  1856-1857,  Harvey  N. 
Hill;  1858,  George  H.  Millham;  1859,  George  W.  Ingalls;  1860-1862,  Harvey  N.  Hill;  1863,  S.  H. 
Drake;  1864,  P.  G.  Newcomb;  1865,  Graham  Pulver;  1866-1867,  Seth  Whalen;  1868,  Benjamin  Allen; 
1869-1873,  Seth  Whalen;  1874,  Jonathan  S.  Smith;  1875,  Albert  J.  Reid;  1876,  Jonathan  S.  Smith; 
1877-1880,  Edward  P.  Grose;  1881-1882,  C.  Fred  Wheeler;  1883-1884,  Frank  Jones;  1885-1887,  David 
Frisbie;  1888-1889,  David  H.  Winnie;  1890,  George  W.  Maxon;  1891,  Davie  Frisbie;  1892-1894,  Will- 
iam Spencer;  1895-1898,  Albert  P.  Miller;  1897,  Edward  P.  Grose;  1898,  David  Frisbie. 

Warren  chapter  No.  2-3,  R.  A.  M.,  was  organized  March  30,  1809,  in  pursuance  of  a  dispensation- 
granted  to  Seth  C.  Baldwin  and  others.  The  preceding  year  the  Mark  Mason's  lodge,  to  be  known 
as  Friendship  No.  39,  had  been  authorized.  The  latter  ceased  to  exist  when"  Friendship  lodge,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  surrendered  its  charter  in  1835.  No  officers  were  elected  by  Warren  chapiter  in  1813,  and 
the  Chapter  remained  dormant  from  1828  to  1840,  when  William  Hawkins  was  chosen  H.  P.  for 
the  balance  of  the  year.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  high  priests  of  the  chapter,  with  the  year 
each  was  elected:  1809,  Eliakim  Corey;  1810,  William  Anthony;  1811,  Amos  Alcott;  1812,  George  H. 
Benham;  1814,  Nathan  D.  Sherwood;  1815,  Nathan  Warden;  1816,  Philo  Hurd;  1817-1818,  William 
Hawkins;  1819,  Philo  Hurd;  1820,  William  Hawkins;  1821-1823,  Jonathan  Edgecomb;  1823,  William 
Clark;  1824-1826,  L.  B.  Langworthy;  1837,  John  Dix;  1838,  Jonathan  Edgecomb;  1846,  William  Haw- 


200  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

A  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  was  organized  in  Ballston  January  9,  1844 
as  Kayaderosseras  lodge  No.  17,  I.O.O.F.     The  charter  members  were 
David  Maxwell,  Samuel  H.  Cook,  William  T.  Odell,  James  G.  Stebbins, 
William  Smith  and  Edward  Gilborne.' 

Waterford  made  great  industrial  strides  during  the  period  from  1831 
to  the  beginning  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  During  these  thirty 
years  a  large  number  of  manufacturing  industries  were  established  in 
town,  some  of  which  are  still  maintained  on  the  same  lines  as  those  on 
which  they  were  founded,  though  under  different  management.  At 
the  opening  of  this  period  several  concerns  were  located  near  the 
hydraulic  canal  and  elsewhere.  The  stock,  die  and  tool  works  founded 
in  1829  by  Daniel  B.  King,  brother  of  Fuller  King,  the  projector 
of  the  hydraulic  canal;  and  the  Waterford  soap  and  candle  factory, 
opened  about  1830  by  Joshua  and  Elisha  Morse,  were  among  the 
most  important  enterprises  here  at  this  time,  aside  from  those  men- 
tioned in  an  earlier  chapter.  It  was  in  the  buildings  occupied  by  the 
latter  concern  that  the  great  fire  of  1841  began.  Some  time  between 
1830  and  1834  the  Franklin  ink  works  were  established.  This  plant 
subsequently  was  devoted  to  the  manufacture  of  lamp  black  alone.  The 
Button  fire  engine  works,  which  since  have  become  known  as  among 
the  most  celebrated  in  the  United  States,  were  established  in  1834  by 
William  Piatt  &  Co.,  L.  Button  being  a  member  of  that  firm.  The 
first  works  were  located  on  the  King  hydraulic  canal,  but  the  site  was 
afterward  occupied  by  the  Gage  machine  shop.  In  1850  the  Button 
concern  abandoned  water  power  and  adopted  steam  in  its  place,  mov- 
ing the  plant  to  the  foot  of  Third  street.  The  Gage  machine  works, 
founded  in  1835  by  George  Gage,  were  operated  by  him  up  to  the  time 

kins;  1847-1848,  Reuben  Westcot;  1849,  Abel  Meeker;  1850-1851,  Harvey  N.  Hill;  1852,  Reuben  West- 
cot;  1853-1854,-H.  N.  Hill;  1865,  Abel  Meeker;  1856-1864,  H.  N.  Hill;  1865,  Jesse  S.  L'Amoreaux;  1866- 
1869,  Graham  Pulver;  1870-1884,  Jonathan  S.  Smith;  1885,  George  E.  Terry;  1886,  Edward  F.  Grose; 
1887-1891,  William  Spencer;  1893-1892,  David  Frisbie;  1894  to  the  present  time,  William  Spencer. 

1  The  noble  grands  of  this  lodge,  in  the  order  of  their  service,  were :  Samuel  H.  Cook,  David 
Maxwell,  William  P.  Odell,  P.  H.  Cowen,  William  Smith,  Lorenzo  Kelly,  John  J.  Lee,  Henry 
Wright,  Edward  Gilborne,  G.  V.  Mix,  Harrison  Emerson,  Squire  Barrett,  George  Thompson,  Sel- 
den  A.  Emerson,  Spencer  Twitchell,  John  McKown,  John  Wilder,  James  Ashman,  James  W.  Mor- 
ris, Amos  W.  Cook,  Daniel  W.  Culver,  Abraham  Carey,  Lawrence  W.  Bristol,  George  Babcock, 
H.  P.  Jones,  A.  J.  Goffe,  Isaac  D.  Gibbons,  H.  C.  Hakes,  Edson  O.  Arnold,  William  W.  Simmons, 
Cornell  M.  Noxon,  Nelson  H.  Huested,  Isaac  H.  Sears,  James  W.  Culver,  C.  H.Van  Valkenburgh, 
E.  C.  Foster,  John  C.  Sullivan,  Henry  A.  Mann,  Burdick  F.  Davis,  Joshua  B.  Boss,  William  W. 
Day,  John  H.  Westcot,  Edwin  Miller,  Josiah  B.  Hall,  John  C.  Newman,  John  F.  Bortles,  James  S. 
Garrett,  C.  C.  Hill,  J.  P.  Weatherwax,  E.  A.  Frisbie.  This  lodge  was  dissolved  in  1865,  and  five 
years  later  Kayaderosseras  lodge  No.  270  was  instituted.  Ballston  Encampment,  No.  72,  organ- 
ized November  9, 1854,  was  continued  but  a  few  years.  The  Odd  Fellows'  lodge  at  Ballston  owns 
a  handsome  building,  containing  lodge  rooms  and  a  commodious  hall,  built  In  1891. 


WATERFORD,  1831—1861.  301 

of  his  death,  a  period  of  nearly  half  a  century.  They  afterward  became 
the  property  of  members  of  his  family.  In  the  same  year  the  man- 
ufacture of  nuts  was  begun  in  a  building  owned  by  Mr.  Gage,  by  a 
man  named  Brooks,  and  continued  after  the  latrer's  death  by  his  sop. 
The  year  1847  was  also  marked  by  the  establishment  of  three  impor- 
tant industries  in  the  village.  These  were  the  stock  and  die  factory 
founded  by  James  Holroyd,  for  the  manufacture  of  dies  for  the  use 
of  blacksmiths  and  machinists,  and  for  gas  and  steam  fitting;. the  Rock 
Island  flouring  mills,  established  by  J.  B.  Enos  &  Co.,  and  the  iron  and 
brass  foundry  and  machine  shop  founded  by  C.  W.  Eddy  (afterward 
the  Mohawk  &  Hudson  Manufacturing  Co.'s  plant).  The  first  mills  of 
J.  B.  Enos  &  Co.  were  burned  in  1862  and  new  mills  erected.  Hol- 
royd's  first  buildings  were  torn  down  in  1864,  when  new  ones  were 
built. 

About  four  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  Saturday,  July  11,  1841,  fire 
was  discovered  in  a  stable  in  the  rear  of  the  Episcopal  church  on  the 
west  side  of  Third  street,  between  Broad  and  Middle  streets.  A  strong 
wind  was  blowing  from  the  northwest  and  the  sparks  and  flaming 
brands  were  carried  across  Third,  Second  and  Broad  streets.  The 
village  fire  department  had  a  hand  engine,  but  its  efforts  to  stay  the 
ravages  of  the  fire  were  futile.  When  it  was  seen  that  the  greater  part 
of  the  village  was  doomed  unless  help  were  forthcoming,  the  near-by 
cities  and  villages  were  notified,  and  soon  nine  engines  from  Troy, 
Lansingburgh,  Cohoes  and  West  Troy  were  in  the  village  directing 
their  efforts  toward  subduing  the  flames.  The  fire  was  under  control 
about  six  o'clock  that  evening,  but  not  until  the  Episcopal  church, 
twenty-eight  stores,  thirty  residences  and  seventy  other  buildings  had 
been  reduced  to  ashes.  The  loss  was  estimated  at  over  $150,000 — not 
a  large  amount  for  these  days,  but  a  tremendous  loss  to  Waterford  in 
1841. 

Half  a  century  ago — in  1848 — a  number  of  Masons  residing  in  Water- 
ford,  applied  for  and  obtained  a  dispensation  from  the  grand  master  of 
the  State  of  New  York  and  proceeded  to  organize  a  lodge  of  Master 
Masons.  Of  those  who  formed  the  new  lodge,  which  was  instituted 
Decen;ber  28,  1848,  as  Clinton  lodge.  No.  140,  F.  &  A.  M.,  seven  were 
members  of  Phoenix  lodge  No.  58  of  Lansingburgh  and  two  were 
brethren  from  Old  Orange  lodge  No.  43,  which  was  in  existence  long 
before  the  great  anti-Masonic  excitement  which  followed  the  mysterious 
disappearance  of  William   Morgan  of  Batavia    in    1826.     James    M, 


203  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Austin  was  the  first  master  of  the  newly  organized  lodge.  His  great 
ability  and  untiring  zeal  for  the  welfare  of  the  new  lodge  singularly 
qualified  him  for  the  position,  which  he  held  for  four  consecutive  years. 
He  afterward  became  grand  secretary  of  the  Grand  lodge  of  the  State 
of  New  York.  The  other  officers  on  the  foundation  were:  John 
Hinde,  S.  W. ;  John  Fulton,  J.  W. ;  F.  W.  Allen,  secretary;  John 
Higgins,  treasurer;  Joseph  H.  Cudworth,  S.  D.;  John  MuUiken,  J.  D. ; 
Samuel  Landsborough,  S.  M.  C. ;  Joseph  M.  King,  J.  M.  C. ;  John  Roe, 
tiler.  Following  is  a  complete  list  of  the  masters  of  Clinton  lodge,  in 
the  order  in  which  they  held  office :, 

James  M.  Austin,  John  Fulton,  John  Higgins,  Rev.  R.  L.  Schoonmaker  (after- 
ward grand  chaplain  of  the  Grand  lodge),  D.  M.  Van  Hovenberg,  Edward  Lansing, 
Thomas  Breslin,  Russell  Porter,  S.  A.  Northrup,  Horace  T.  Stiles,  William  Hum- 
phreys, Marvin  T.  Scott,  John  E.  Gage,  John  Polhamus,  Henry  De  Freest,  Emanuel 
Mead,  George  L.  Rogers,  Frank  B.  Barnfatber,  Roland  H.  Stubbs,  M.  D.,  Charles 
L.i  Mitchell,  George  E.  Holroyd,  William  A.  Dennis,  John  W.  Ford,  Samuel  Snyder, 
William  Roberts,  Samuel  Snyder,  William  Saxe. 

Charles  H.  Vanderwerker,  secretary  of  Clinton  lodge,  has  served  in 
that  office  for  sixteen  consecutive  years.  During  that  time  he  has  also 
been  secretary  of  Waterford  chapter. 

Waterford  chapter  No.  169,  R.  A.  M.,  connected  with  Clinton  lodge, 
was  organized  February  14,  1860. 

The  most  important  venture  in  the  industrial  line  in  the  village  of 
Mechanicville  during  this  period  was  the  establishment  of  the  American 
Liiien  Thread  company's  plant  in  1850  by  a  company  of  which  Samuel 
Chase  was  president  and  Lewis  E.  Smith  secretary,  treasurer  and  gen- 
eral manager.  Power  was  derived  from  Anthony's  kill,  which  also 
supplied  a  grist  mill  owned  by  this  company.  A  preparing  mill,  a  saw 
mill,  with  sixteen  acres  of  land  and  about  forty-five  tenement  houses, 
were  also  owned  by  this  company,  the  location  of  whose  plant  at  that 
point  undoubtedly  did  more  toward  the  upbuilding  of  the  village  of 
Mechanicville  than  any  other  enterprise  up  to  that  period.  The  village 
as  it  stands  to-day  is  of  practically  modern  growth,  and  more  extended 
reference  to  its  industries  has  been  left  for  a  succeeding  chapter. 

The  town  of  Halfmoon,  in  which  part  of  Mechanicville  is  situated, 
had  excellent  educational  facilities  in  these  days.  Among  the  town 
superintendents  of  common  schools,  under  the  then  existing  laws,  were: 
James  B.  McKean,  1844;  Reuben  Stewart,  1845;  Nathan  F.  Philo, 
1846;  George  W.   Peake,  1847-1850;  Nathan  F.  Philo,  1851;  John  O.' 


MECHANICVILLE,  1831—1861.  203 

Mott,  1852;  John  Cassidy,  1854-1856.  Beginning  with  June,  1856, 
supervision  by  assembly  districts  followed.  The  most  noted  school  in 
Mechanicville  in  these  days  was  the  Mechanicville  academy,  which  was 
founded  in  1860.  This  institution  was  situated  on  Main  street,  near 
the  Hudson  river,  and  was  at  first  surrounded  by  a  beautiful  grove. 
Lewis  Smith,  prominent  as  a  manufacturer  and  a  public  spirited  cit- 
izen, was  the  first  president  of  the  academy,  Rev.  Edward  Noble  the 
secretary,  J.  Wesley  Ensign  the  treasurer,  and  the  remaining  trustees 
were  Isaac  Clements,  B.  B.  Hutchins,  Isaac  M.  Smith,  Joseph  Baker, 
John  C.  Holmes,  Samuel  B.  Howland,  E.  A.  Lindley,  Bloom  Baker 
and  Robert  Moon.  The  school  enjoyed  a  prosperous  career  for  many 
years. ' 

The  First  Baptist  church  of  Halfmoon,  at  Middletown,  which  was 
organized  about  1835,  was  one  of  the  successors  of  the  old  church  at 
Newtown.  The  latter  society  had  ceased  to  exist  and  its  house  of 
worship  had  been  torn  down  several  years  when  the  society  at  Middle- 
town  was  organized.  Rev.  Elisha  D.  Hubbell  first  served  the  Middle- 
town  church  as  pastor.  The  house  of  worship  was  built  in  1834-1835 
and  dedicated  in  the  latter  year.  St.  Paul's  Roman  Catholic  church  of 
Mechanicville  was  organized  in  1845,  and  a  church  edifice  was  erected 
in  1852.  The  Presbyterian  church  of  Mechanicville  sprang  from  the 
Congregational  church  of  Stillwater,  which  worshiped  in  the  old 
"yellow  meeting-house  "  referred  to  more  at  length  in  an  earlier  chap- 
ter.    The  two  societies  worshiped  together  for  many  years. 

In  1852  the  Crescent  Methodist  Episcopal  church  was  organized  by 
the  election  of  these  trustees :  William  Carey,  John  B.  Schermerhorn, 
Silas  H.  Sweetland,  Seymour  Birch  and  Nathan  F.  Philo.  The  first 
house  of  worship  was  dedicated  in  the  winter  of  1853  by  Bishop  Janes. 
Until  1859  Crescent  was  alone  as  a  pastoral  charge,  but  in  the  latter 
year  it  was  united  to  the  Halfmoon  circuit.  In  1865  it  was  again  made 
a  distinct  charge. 

The  earliest  secret  society  in  Halfmoon  was  the  Odd  Fellows'  lodge, 

1  Bernice  D.  Ames,  for  many  years  principal  of  the  Mechanicville  academy,  was  born  at  Shore- 
ham,  Vt..  December  26, 1817,  and  died  at  Mechanicville,  January  5,  1876.  He  was  graduated  from 
Middlebury  college,  Middlebury,  Vt.,,  when  twenty-six  years  old.  During  the  next  three  years 
he  was  professor  of  Latin  and  Greek  in  the  seminaries  at  Fort  Plain  and  Fort  Edward,  N.  Y. 
During  1863  and  1864  he  was  principal  of  the  Providence  Conference  seminary  at  East  Greenwich, 
R.  I.  He  became  principal  of  the  Mechanicville  academy  in  1868  and  continued  in  that  position 
until  his  death  in  1876,  when  his  widow,  Sarah  E.  King-Ames,  was  elected  to  succeed  him.  She  " 
remained  as  principal  until  1889,  when  the  academy  building  was  burned  and  the  career  of  the  in- 
stitution closed. 


204  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

established  at  Mechanicville  September  4,  1845,  as  Mechanicville  North 
Star  lodge  No.  174.  James  Lee  was  the  first  noble  grand.  This  lodge 
ceased  to  exist  after  a  career  of  about  ten  years.  A  division  of  the 
Sons  of  Temperance  was  organized  at  Mechanicville  about  1848.  This, 
too,  ceased  to  exist  after  a  few  years. ' 

The  village  of  Stillwater  always  has  been  more  or  less  noted  for  its 
manufactures,  though  these  were  limited  in  number  until  after  the 
middle  of  the  present  century.  The  mills  of  the  Schuyler  family  lo- 
cated at  this  point  were  of  considerable  importance  for  many  years. 
After  they  were  burned  in  1817  Philip  J.  Schuyler  built  a  new  mill, 
part  of  which  was  used  as  a  grist  mill  and  part  as  a  clothing  mill.  A 
new  saw  mill  was  also  erected  there  about  the  same  time.  In  1838 
Ephraim  Newland  and  John  F.  Wetsell  purchased  the  entire  Schuyler 
property  at  that  point  and  continued  the  mills  this  family  had  owned 
for  so  many  years.  At  this  time  Stillwater  had  been  a  place  of  consid- 
erable importance  for  several  years.  In  1833  a  wooden  bridge"  had 
been  erected  across  the  Hudson,  and  this  brought  to  the  village  a  great 
deal  of  trade  from  the  east  side  of  the  river,  which  up  to  that  time  had 
gone  to  Fort  Edward,  Schuylerville  or  Troy.  About  1847  the  local  indus- 
tries were  increased  by  the  erection  of  a  paper  mill  by  William  Mosher 
and  Elihu  Allen.  They  employed  about  a  dozen  hands,  beginning 
their  work  by  manufacturing  wall  paper.  These  were  the  principal 
industries  of  the  place  until  after  the  beginning  of  the  war  of  1861-1865. 

During  this  period  an  academy  was  conducted  for  several  years  in 
Stillwater.  This  institution,  known  as  the  Stillwater  academy,  was 
founded  about  1847,  and  for  a  while  was  under  the  care  of  the  Regents 
of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York.  The  brick  building  it 
occupied  stood  near  the  Baptist  church.  Almon  Richards  was  its 
principal  for  a  long  term  of  years.  This  finally  became  a  private  semi- 
nary, which  declined,  and  the  building  was  used  for  the  occupancy  of 
select  schools  until  the  organization  of  the  union  school  system  in  1873. 

The  Second  Baptist  church  of  Stillwater  was  the  only  religious  soci- 
ety organized  during  this  period  of  three  decades.  The  society  was 
organized  by  members  of  the  First  Baptist  church  in  1836,  and  the  first 

'  In  1866  another  division  was  organized  with  E.  O.  Rowland  as  W.  P.,  Dr.  F.  K.  Lee  as  W.  A., 
George  R.  Moore  as  secretary,  and  J.  Frank  Terry  as  conductor.  .The  charter  was  surrendered 
February  25,  1869,  when  Union  lodge  No.  836,  Independent  Order  o£  Good  Templars,  was  organ- 
ized, with  J.  Frank  Terry  as  chie£  templar.    This  lodge  gave  up  its  charter  at  the  end  o£  a  year. 

'  This  bridge,  with  the  hotel  near  by,  was  burned  in  187.5.  The  following  year  an  iron  bridge 
was  erected  in  its  place. 


SCHUYLERVILLE,  1831—1861.  205 

house  of  worship,  in  the  village  of  Stillwater,  was  dedicated  February 
23,  1837,  Rev.  Dr.  Weatch  of  Albany  preaching  the  sermon.' 

Three  Masonic  bodies  existed  in  Stillwater  between  1791  and  the 
anti-Masonic  movement  of  1830.  Reference  is  made  to  them  in  an 
earlier  chapter.  Montgomery  lodge  No.  504,  F.  &  A.  M.,  was  in- 
stituted June  37,  1860,  by  a  dispensation  from  the  Grand  lodge.  The 
charter  officers  were:  Rev.  W.  J.  Heath,  W.  M. ;  P.  Mosher,  S.  W. ; 
D.  F.  Wetzel,  J.  W. ;  John  A.  Quackenbush,  treasurer;  H.  H.  Mont- 
gomery, secretary;  John  V.  W.  Vandenburgh,  S.  D. ;  H.  Badgley,  J. 
D. ;  Nathan  Taylor  and  George  K.  Deming,  masters  of  ceremonies;  J. 
W.  Buffington,  tiler.' 

Schuylerville,  like  Stillwater,  is  and  for  many  years  has  been  princi- 
pally noted  for  its  manufactures.  Nearly^  perhaps  quite  a  century  and 
a  half  have  passed  since  the  pioneer  Schuylers  established  their  first 
mills  on  the  site  of  the  historic  village  which  has  since  borne  the  name 
of  that  noted  family.  Philip  Schuyler,  a  descendant  of  the  original 
manufacturer,  built  a  large  mill  a  little  further  south  in  1828,  which, 
in  1857,  was  purchased  by  the  Saratoga  Victory  Manufacturing  com- 
pany and  for  many  years  operated  as  a  cotton  factory  by  this  corpora- 
tion. This  company  established  its  first  mills  at  Victory  Mills  in  1846, 
the  original  capital  invested  being  about  $425,000.  The  works  have 
been  greatly  increased  and  improved  since  that  year,  over  half  a  cen- 
tury since.'  Lawrence's  old  woolen  factory  was  another  important  in- 
dustry of  these  days.  It  was  located  in  Philip  Schuyler's  old  distillery 
building.  In  a  part  of  the  same  building  and  the  basement  of  the 
woolen  factory  adjoining,   David  B.  French  of  Argyle,  N.  Y.,  estab- 

^  After  having  been  used  by  this  society  for  thirty-iive  years,  the  first  house  of  worship  was 
abandoned  and  a  new  one  dedicated  September  3, 187.3,  duringthe  pastorate  of  Rev.  Thomas  Cull, 
Rev.  John  Peddie  preached  the  dedicatory  sermon.  The  pastors  of  the  church  have  been:  Revs. 
Isaac  Westcott,  from  organization  to  January  12, 1851;  M.  G.  Hodge,  June  7, 1851,  to  March  25,  1854; 
A.  A.  Sawin,  May  26, 1855,  to  February  1, 1856;  J.  I.  Pulton,  April  26,  1856,  to  March  1,  1859;  J.  O. 
Mason,  July  31, 1859,  to  August  1, 1880;  J.  C.  Stevens,  November  3,  1860,  to  May  1,  1865:  Charles  J. 
Shrimpton,  June'24, 1865,  to  October  80, 1869;  Thomas  Cull,  November  5,  1870,  to  May  10,  1874;  Dr. 
Thomas  MacClymont,  September  20, 1874,  to  Ov:tober  1, 1877;  Dr.  Isaac  Westcott,  supply  March  2, 1878, 
to  September  6,  1879;  Daniel  Corey,  November  1,  1879,  to  September  26,  1881;  Albert  P.  Brigham, 
August  27, 1882,  to  September  6,  1885;  Edson  J.  Farley,  April  29,  1889,  to  January  19,  1893;  RoUand 
J.  Thompson,  May  1, 1893,  to  October  1,  1895;  Harvey  W.  Choller,  April  1,  1896,  to  the  present  time. 
In  1885  a  parsonage  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $3,000. 

2  Montgomery  chapter  was  instituted  by  a  dispensation  granted  November  28,  1870;  but  the 
charter  was  not  granted  until  February  8,  1871.  The  first  oflScers  of  the  chapter  were  :  D.  Van 
Wie,  H.  P.;  P.  Van  Veghten,  K.;  C.  S.  Ensign,  scribe;  J.  G.  Lansing,  treasurer ;  L.  Vandemark, 
secretary. 

3  The  plant  of  this  company  is  a  very  extensive  one,  employing  hundreds  of  hands.  In  1897 
its  real  estate  holdings  alone  were  assessed  at  $270,500. 


206  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

lished  an  iron  foundry  in  1833.     This  became  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant foundries  north  of  Albany. ' 

The  rapid  and  substantial  development  of  the  manufactures  of  Schuy- 
lerville  and  Victory  Mills  resulted  in  a  demand  for  home  banking 
facilities.  Therefore,  in  1853  William  Wilcox  opened  a  private  bank 
having  a  capital  of  $50,000.  Three  years  later  it  was  merged  into  an 
organized  institution  known  as  the  Bank  of  Old  Saratoga.  This  con- 
cern had  a  capital  of  $100,000.  William  Wilcox  was  president  and 
Giles  S.  Brisbin  was  cashier. 

Among  the  local  organizations  formed  in  this  period  was  Battle 
Ground  Division  No.  247,  Sons  of  Temperance,  organized  April  19, 
1847,  numbered  several  prominent  men  among  its  members.  George 
Strover  was  the  first  presiding  officer.  The  other  charter  members 
were  Walter  Mott,  Richard  S.  Sheldon,  Joseph  T.  Smith,  John  A.  Clapp, 
James  G.  Stebbins,  Joseph  Darby,  John  B.  Brisbin  and  William  Be- 
ment.   This  society  suspended  its  meetings  after  a  career  of  three  years. 

St.  Stephen's  Protestant  Episcopal  church  of  Schuylerville  dates 
from  1838,  when  Rev.  Reuben  Hubbard  began  conducting  services 
from  house  to  house.  From  1844  to  1850  services  were  held  in  the 
academy  building.  The  society  was  formally  organized  March  2,  1846, 
when  these  officers  were  chosen  :  Wardens,  Jesse  Finne  and  James  Pick- 
ering; vestrymen,  John  Finne,  Joseph  Finne,  Benjamin  Losee,  James 
Pickering,  George  N.  Gates,  James  E.  Stebbins,  John  R.  Preston  and 
Henry  W.  Merrill.  The  cornerstone  of  the  house  of  worship  was  laid 
Tuesday,  June  2,  1868,  Dr.  Charles  H.  Payne  having  donated  the 
amount  required  for  its  construction.  The  stone  was  laid  by  Rev.  P. 
B.  Gibson,  and  Rev.  J.  Ireland  Tucker  of  Tro}' preached  the  dedicatory 
sermon.  The  ground  on  which  the  church  was  erected  was  the  gift  of  ' 
the  Victory  Manufacturing  Co.  The  edifice  was  opened  for  worship 
Christmas  day,"  1868,  and  consecrated  by  Rt.  Rev.  William  C.  Doane, 
bishop  of  Albany,  February  24,  1870. 

The  Church  of  the  Visitation  (Roman  Catholic)  was  established  dur- 
ing this  period.     A  congregation   existed  as  early  as   1850.     Father 

1  Mr.  French  retired  in  1865,  being  succeeded  by  David  Craw  &  Co. 

2  The  society  was  without  a  rector  from  1850  to  1867,  when  Rev.  George  Fisher  began  a  two 
years'  pastorate.  The  subsequent  rectors  have  been  :  Rev.  John  H.  Babcook,  who  came  April 
20,  18T0 ;  Rev.  John  Walker,  June  5,  1870 ;  Rev.  Dr.  George  W.  Deane,  October  19,  1875 ;  Rev. 
H.  C.  E.  Costello,  September  18,  1880  ;  Rev.  George  L.  Neide,  1881-1884  ;  Rev.  H.  C.  Hutchings,  1884- 
1886  ;  Rev.  Allan  B.  Clark,  June  37,  1886,  to  July  1,  1888 ;  Rev.  J.  F.  Esch,  January  1,  1890,  to  July  1, 
1892  ;  Rev.  W.  F.  Parsons,  July  1,  1892,  to  1896  ;  Rev.  Eleutheros  Jay  Cooke,  Dec.  1, 1896,  to  present 
time. 


MILTON,  1831—1861.  207 

Roach  was  the  first  resident  priest  the  parish  had.  The  first  land  was 
purchased  in  1850,  being  two  lots,  from  Hugh  Thorp  and  Deborah,  his 
wife,  by  deed,  dated  March  4,  1850.  These  lots  were  purchased  in  the 
name  of  Bishop  McCloskey.  The  second  two  lots  were  purchased  by 
Father  Tull  September  13,  1854,  from  Michael  Kelly  and  wife  of  Schuy- 
lerville.  A  temporary  church  had  been  built  in  1850.  The  parish  had 
no  resident  priest  till  1860.  These  lots  purchased  by  Father  Tull,  were, 
on  December  27,  1859,  deeded  to  Bishop  McCloskey.  Father  Tull  re- 
mained but  two  years  and  was  succeeded  in  1861  by  Father  H.  B.  Fin- 
negan.     He  remained  till  his  death,  October  18,  1883.' 

In  the  town  of  Milton  there  was  considerable  industrial  development 
during  the  three  decades  from  1831  to  1861.  In  1840  Rowland  &  Kil- 
mer built  a  large  paper  mill  at  Rock  City  Falls,  on  the  bank  of  the 
Kayaderosseras.  This  mill  was  burned  in  1844,  and  was  rebuilt  the 
following  year,  by  Kilmer  &  Ashmun.  This  firm  was  almost  imme- 
diately succeeded  by  Buchanan  &  Kilmer,  and  later  by  Harlow,  Kilmer 
&  Co.  Upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Kilmer  it  was  sold  to  George  West  of 
Ballston  Spa.  About  1846  Isaac  Rowland,  jr.,  remodeled  the  old  grist 
mill  at  Rock  City  Falls  and  converted  it  into  a  paper  mill.  The  enter- 
prise did  not  succeed  at  first  and  was  sold  soon  after  its  establishment 
to  Buchanan  &  Kilmer.  It  subsequently  became  the  property  of 
Chauncey  Kilmer  &  Son.  This  was  the  second  mill  in  the  United 
States  which  entered  upon  the  manufacture  of  straw  print.  For  many 
years  Samuel  Haight  conducted  an  extensive  tannery  at  Milton  Centre, 
employing  about  a  hundred  hands.'  At  Craneville  a  paper  mill  was 
established  about  1860.     It  subsequently  became  the  property  of  Hon. 

*  The  old  church  was  burned  in  1870,  and  all  the  old  records  were  destroyed.  The  cornerstone 
o£  the  present  structure  was  laid  in  1872  by  Bishop  Conroy  of  Albany.  Father  McGuire  of  St. 
Patrick's  church  of  Albany  delivered  the  sermon.  In  1873  Rev.  Father  McNierney  of  Albany  and 
Rev.  J.  J.  Swift  of  Troy  succeeded  in  raising  $50,000  towards  paying  for  the  new  edifice.  Father 
Pinnegan  died  October  18, 1883,  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Francis  McGuire,  now  rector  of  the 
cathedral  at  Albany.  He  remained  four  years,  namely,  to  1887,  when  Rev.  J.  J.  Hefternan,  on 
March  4, 1887,  came  to  the  parish. 

The  congregation  of  Notre  Dame  church  (French  Roman  Catholic)  was  formed  by  seventy- 
flve  or  eighty  families  from  Victory  Mills,  Thomson's  Mills  and  Sohuylerville,  in  1889.  Many  of 
them  had  formerly  been  members  of  the  Church  of  the  Visitation.  The  new  congregation  was 
greatly  encouraged  by  the  Victory  Manufacturing  Co.,  which  donated  a  lot  on  which  to  erect  a 
house  of  worship.  Work  upon  the  church  was  begun  in  the  fall  of  1889  and  the  structure  was  ded- 
icated by  Rt.  Rev.  Francis  McNierney,  bishop  of  Albany,  May  30, 1890.  Father  Peneaux  was  then 
the  priest  in  charge.  He  has  been  succeeded  in  turn  by  Father  Patreau,  Father  Vellevue  and 
Father  Prud'homme. 

3  This  industry  is  now  located  at  Ballston  Spa,  where  it  is  conducted  by  Theodore  S.  Haight 
and  Vassar  Haight,  sons  of  the  founder  of  the  business.  Matthew  Vassar,  for  many  years  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm,  retired  in  1898. 


308  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

George  West.  The  manufacturing  plants  at  Bloodville  and  Factory- 
village,  in  operation  during  this  period,  have  been  referred  to  in  a  pre- 
ceding chapter. 

March  2,  1844,  a  number  of  persons  who  affiliated  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  denomination  met  at  Rock  City  Falls  and  organized  a  church 
there.  March  9  the  following  were  chosen  as  trustees ;  Seth  Whalen, 
Charles  R.  Lewis,  Joshua  Swan,  James  Mcintosh  and  Harlow  Kilmer. 
A  house  of  worship  was  begun  in  May  of  that  year  and  completed  in 
time  for  occupancy  in  the  fall.  This  house  of  worship  was  the  suc- 
cessor of  an  older  one  built  at  Swan's  Corners  in  1811. 

Ballston  has  always  been  an  agricultural  town  principally,  and  there 
is  little  to  be  said  of  its  history  during  these  thirty  years.  In  1848  a 
paper  mill  was  established  at  Burnt  Hills.  The  employes  were  princi- 
pally Englishmen,  most  of  whom  were  members  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, and  soon  after  their  arrival  they  organized  Calvary  Protestant 
Episcopal  church.  This  society  was  incorporated  May  7,  1849,  princi- 
pally through  the  efforts  of  Rev.  Edward  Davis  and  Cady  Hollister,  the 
proprietor  of  the  paper  mill.  The  house  of  worship  was  completed  in 
the  summer  of  1849  at  an  expense  of  $2,500,  a  large  part  of  which  sum 
was  given  by  Rev.  Mr.  Davis,  and  the  first  service  therein  was  held  on 
Christmas  day  of  that  year.  July  11,  1850,  the  church  was  consecrated 
by  Rt.  Rev.  William  R.  Whittingham,  bishop  of  Maryland.  It  was 
considerably  enlarged  and  improved  in  1858.  The  rectory,  built  in 
1856,  was  presented  by  the  family  of  Mr.  Davis.  The  first  wardens  of 
the  parish  were  Daniel  K.  Smith  and  William  Wheeler.' 

The  Christian  church  at  East  Line  was  founded  about  1858.  The 
celebrated  Rev.  Josiah  G.  Holland  preached  the  dedicatory  sermon.' 
The  society  died  out  after  an  existence  of  about  fifteen  years,  when  the 
church  was  abandoned.  This  society  originated  among  members  of  the 
Christian  church  at  Burnt  Hills,  which  was  established  about  1848. 

The  tremendous  water  power  furnished  by  the  falls  in  the  Hudson 
river  where  it  passes  along  the  northern  boundary  of  the  town  of  Cor- 
inth was  utilized  for  manufacturing  purposes  at  an  early  day;  but,  as 
has  been  told  in  earlier  pages,  from  1830  to  1859  the  early  mills  built 
at  that  point  were  not  operated.  In  the  latter  year  Thomas  Brown  of 
Niagara  Falls  purchased  the  property,  built  a  large  raceway  to  con- 

•  Rev.  Edward  Davis  served  as  the  rector  of  Calvary  church  until  a  short  time  before  his 
death  in  1863,  acting  as  rector  of  the  church  at  Charlton  at  the  same  time. 

"  Mr.  Holland  was  an  editor  of  the  Springfield,  Mass.,  Republican  at  this  time.  He  afterward 
became  editor-in-chief  of  Scribner's  Monthly,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  founders. 


EDINBURGH,  1831—1861.  209 

duct  the  water  to  his  works,  and  then  constructed  a  plant  for  the 
manufacture  of  edged  tools.  He  began  to  operate  this  plant  in  1860, 
but  the  Civil  war  causing  a  great  rise  in  the  price  of  iron  and  labor,  the 
concern  was  closed,  and  no  further  industrial  development  took  place 
there  until  the  close  of  the  war.  In  1855  Powell  &  Co.  built  a  small 
tannery  at  South  Corinth,  on  the  Kayaderosseras  creek. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Corinth  was  not  erected  until  the 
summer  of  1858,  though  a  class  had  been  formed  there  as  early  as  1830 
and  meetings  held  in  the  meanwhile.  In  September,  1858,  the  church 
was  dedicated.  Rev.  Mr.  Robinson  preaching  the  sermon.  Rev.  P.  M. 
Hitchcock  was  pastor  at  that  time.  The  Sunday  school  connected 
with  the  church  was  established  in  1850. 

Corinth  lodge  No.  174,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was  chartered  August  7,  1853,  the 
first  officers  being:  N.  G.,  Darling  P.  Mallery;  V.  G.,  Zina  Mallery;  R. 
S.,  Luke  C.  Bartlett;  F.  S.,  William  Ide;  warden,  Silas  Allen;  con- 
ductor, John  M.  Ellsworth. 

Charlton  always  has  been  essentially  an  agricultural  town,  with  few 
manufactures.  Among  the  churches  of  the  town  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal society  was  organized  about  1838.  Among  the  pastors  have 
been  Rev.  John  H.  Coleman,  Rev.  S.  S.  Ford  and  Rev.  David  T. 
Elliott. 

Galway's  principal  industry  being  agriculture,  little  is  to  be  said  of 
the  development  of  the  town  in  the  middle  period.  The  manufactures 
have  always  been  few  and  not  very  important.  At  Mosherville  a 
foundry  and  plow  shop  was  established  about  1847.  There  is  the  usual 
complement  of  saw  mills,  grist  mills  and  wagon  shops.  The  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  at  East  Galway,  organized  in  1858  as  a  class  by  Rev. 
J.  B.  Wood,  was  an  offshoot  of  the  church  at  Rock  City  Falls.  Philip 
Smith  was  the  first  class  leader,  and  he  and  William  Cole,  F.  Walter, 
W.  T.  Crouch,  S.  V.  R.  White,  Enos  Mead,  John  Tubbs,  Peter  P. 
Smith  and  Pardon  Allen  constituted  the  first  board  of  trustees.  The 
house  of  worship  was  erected  and  dedicated  in  1859,  the  dedicatory 
sermon  being  delivered  by  Rev.  Taylor  Lewis  of  Troy. 

Three  wooden  ware  factories  located  at  Batchellerville  were  the  prin- 
cipal industries  established  in  the  town  of  Edinburgh  before  the  war. 
That  village  at  one  time  was  quite  prosperous  and  gave  promise  of  be- 
coming a  village  of  considerable  size  and  importance.  In  1833  the 
place  consisted  of  a  saw  mill,  a  grist  mill  and  two  dwellings.  In  that 
year  Ambrose  Batcheller  bought  the  mills,  and  the  place  became  known 
11 


210  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

as  Batchellerville.  In  1837  Sherman  and  Samuel  Batcheller  built  a 
shop  for  the  manufacture  of  wooden  ware.  This  shop  was  burned  and 
rebuilt  in  1851,  and  again  in  1859.  In  1848  a  saw  mill  which  stood  on 
the  site  occupied  by  the  wooden  ware  factory  of  Lucien  De  Golia  was 
torn  down  and  the  latter  establishment  erected.  This  building  was 
burned  about  1888.  Sherman  Batcheller  built  another  factory  in  1853, 
which  became  the  property  of  Mr.  De  Golia  five  years  later.  In  1865 
Samuel  Batcheller  sold  his  factory  to  Benjamin  R.  Jenkins,  who  in 
turn  sold  it  to  Noyes  &  Early,  Mr.  Jenkins  removing  to  Conklingville. 
In  1860  Henry  C.  Whitney  purchased  of  Sherman  Batcheller  the  fac- 
tory the  latter  had  built  in  1853.  In  1864  it  was  sold  to  Cyrus  Sumner, 
in  1868  to  George  S.  Batcheller,  in  1869  to  King,  Steers  &  Person,  and 
in  1870  to  King,  Snow  &  Co.  In  1858  Levi  Porter  and  Lucien  De 
Golia  began  the  manufacture  of  washboards  in  the  old  factory  bought 
of  Sherman  and  Samuel  Batcheller.  The  dam  and  shop  were  destroyed 
by  a  flood  in  1863.  Immediately  afterward  Mr.  De  Golia  built  a  large 
establishment  a  short  distance  farther  down  the  stream.  This  was 
burned  in  1876,  but  immediately  reconstructed.  All  these  buildings 
have  since  been  burned. 

Malta's  industries  have  always  been  small,  excepting  farming.  Grist 
mills  and  saw  mills  have  existed  since  the  early  settlement  of  the  town, 
but  little  attempt  at  other  manufactures  has  ever  been  made.  The 
Presbyterian  societ}'  organized  at  Malta  in  1843  was  the  outgrowth  of 
the  Presbyterian  society  of  East  Ballston,  founded  in  1793.  The  old 
Union  church  at  Maltaville  is  said  to  have  been  built  and  dedicated  in 
1806.  A  number  of  men  were  out  working  on  the  road,  and  while  they 
were  resting  some  one  proposed  that  they  build  a  church.  Before  they 
left  the  subject  that  day  they  had  laid  their  plans  where  to  build,  of 
what  size  and  style,  and  that  they  would  get  what  oak  timber  they 
needed  from  an  oak  grove  that  stood  some  distanfce  north  and  west  of 
the  spot  where  they  built.  There  was  also  plenty  of  yellow  pine  in  the 
place  then,  so  that  they  did  not  lack  for  material  of  the  best  sort;  the 
small  timbers  of  the  floor,  braces,  etc.,  were  sawed  at  the  mill  close  by. 
The  first  existing  record  of  the  church  was  made  March  8,  1831.  The 
members,  differing  very  little  in  their  discipline,  agreed  to  come  under 
the  Presbyterian  rule.  They  were  mostly  Congregationalists  from  New 
England  and  descendants  of  the  old  Dutch  called  Dutch  Reformed. 
In  1837  Rev.  Clark  Lockwood  became  pastor.  In  1842  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Rev.  Thomas  Rawson  of  Albany.     He  was  followed  the  next 


MOREAU,  1831—1861.  211 

year  by  Rev.  Prentice  W.  Marsh,  under  whose  pastorate  a  Presbyterian 
church  at  Dunning  Street  was  built  and  under  the  control  and  integral 
part  of  this  society  at  Malta,  till,  according  to  this  record,  the  society 
divided  February  15,  1845,  and  the  old  church  took  the  name  of  the 
Congregational  society  of  Malta.  The  new  church  was  made  ready  for 
use  previous  to  1844.  The  house  of  worship,  upon  the  disbanding  of 
the  Presbyterian  society,  was  occupied  for  several  years  by  the  local 
Methodists.     The  building  is  now  in  ruins. 

In  Northumberland  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Gansevoort 
was  erected  in  1839  and  the  Reformed  church  of  the  same  place  the 
year  following.  The  Methodist  Episcopal  society  had  then  been  or- 
ganized for  several  years.  The  corner  stone  of  the  Reformed  church 
was  laid  in  June,  1840,  and  the  edifice  was  dedicated  February  4,  1841. 
Rev.  John  Birkley  was  the  first  pastor. 

Home  lodge  No.  398,  F.&  A.  M.,  was  organized  June  38,  1856.  The 
first  master  was  Gilbert  Purdy,  and  the  other  charter  members  were 
Robert  Washburn,  P.  D.  Esmond,  H.  Reynolds,  M.  D.,  Jeremiah  Ter- 
hune,  John  Terhune,  John  Burke,  Payne  K.  Burt,  George  W.  Lincoln 
H.  D.  Curtiss  and  David  DeGarmo. 

The  history  of  the  industrial  development  of  the  town  of  Hadley  dur- 
ing this  period  is  practically  a  history  of  the  village  of  Conklingville. 
This  village  was  founded  in  1848  by  Gurdon  Conkling,  who,  beginning 
that  year,  built  there  a  large  tannery,  a  store,  a  hotel  and  several  resi- 
dences. Twenty  years  before  a  dam  and  two  saw  mills  had  been  built, 
but  it  was  left  for  Mr.  Conkling  properly  to  develop,  the  resources  of 
the  locality.  The  first  dam,  with  the  mill  at  the  south  end,  built  in 
1831  by  Isaac  Barber,  was  carried  away  by  a  flood  in  1848,  when  the 
new  industries  were  at  once  established  by  Mr.  Conkling.  Within  a 
dozen  years  the  place  had  grown  to  considerable  proportions,  and  sup- 
ported a  variety  of  manufacturing  industries.  Gurdon  Conkling's  tan- 
nery, built  in  1848,  subsequently  was  operated  by  several  different  pro- 
prietors. It  employed  a  large  number  of  hands  from  the  beginning, 
tanning  hides  which  came  from  all  parts  of  the  world. 

The  Wesleyan  Methodist  church  of  Hadley  was  organized  in  1844, 
when  Walter  R.  Sutliff  was  chosen  class  leader.  The  house  of  worship 
was  built  in  1845. 

Aside  from  agriculture,  the  industrial  development  of  Moreau  during 
this  period  was  confined  principally  to  the  village  of  South  Glens  Falls 
and  vicinity,  where  a  number  of  lumber  mills  were  established.     The 


212  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

village  was  laid  out  in  1837.     Folsom's  cotton  factory,  which  burned 
in  1832,  for  many  years  was  an  extensive  plant. 

In  1843  a  Methodist  class  was  organized  at  South  Glens  Falls,  but  it 
was  1869  before  a  chapel  for  worship  was  erected.  The  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  at  Fortsville  was  founded  during  this  period. 

The  manufacturing  industries  of  Greenfield  have  never  been  very 
important.  At  Porter's  Corners  Asahel  Porter  had  a  distillery  and  tan- 
nery, which  long  since  were  burned.  In  1836  John  W.  James  built  a 
dam  across  the  Kayaderosseras  creek  at  Jamesville  (which  was  named 
in  his  honor)  and  erected  a  paper  mill — the  first  mill  built  in  this  county 
for  the  manufacture  of  paper  by  machinery.  He  also  built  several 
residences  for  the  use  of  his  employes.  About  twenty  years  afterward 
he  failed  in  business  and  returned  to  New  York,  where  he  previously 
had  been  in  business.  Soon  afterward  the  mill  was  rebuilt,  but  was 
again  burned,  when  the  vacant  power  was  purchased  by  West  &  Brown. 
A  glass  factory  was  also  established  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the 
,  town  about  1850,  and  about  it  sprang  up  a  little  village  named  Mount 
Pleasant.  This  industry  subsequently  was  removed  to  a  point  on  the 
Delaware  &  Hudson  railroad  just  south  of  Saratoga  Springs,  and  Mount 
Pleasant  was  abandoned. 

Among  the  churches  of  this  town,  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of 
Greenfield  Centre  was  built  in  1840,  and  dedicated  by  Rev.  Charles 
Sherman  December  32  of  that  year.  Class  meetings  had  been  held  for 
many  years  prior  to  that  date.  In  1836  a  class  was  formed  at  South 
Greenfield,  and  the  year  following  a  house  of  worship  was  erected,  be- 
ing dedicated  in  August,  1837,  by  Rev.  Noah  Levings  of  Schenectady. 
This  church  ceased  to  exist  in  1847.  In  1850  the  building  was  sold  to 
a  Unitarian  society,  which  moved  it  to  the  town  of  Milton.  The  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church  at  Porter's  Corners  was  formed  in  1840.  The 
site  for  a  house  of  worship  was  donated  by  General  Isaac  I.  Yates,  and 
the  structure  erected  in  1845.  The  Baptist  church  of  Jamesville, 
which  sprang  from  the  society  which  worshiped  in  the  old  stone  church 
at  Milton,  was  organized  April  4,  1846.  The  house  of  worship  was 
built  by  the  united  society  in  1839.  Rev.  Samuel  R.  Shotwell  was  the 
first  pastor. 

In  the  town  of  Day,  a  tannery  was  built  at  Croweville  in  1856  by 
William  Fowler,  who  sold  it  three  years  later  to  Crowe  &  Kyne.  It 
gave  employment  to  from  fifteen  to  twenty  hands.  In  1833  a  woolen 
factory  was  built  on  Paul  creek  by  John  B.  Yates,  but  it  went  to  decay 


CLIFTON  PARK,  1831—1861.  313 

nearly  half  a  century  since.  Lumbering  for  many  years  was  one  of  the 
principal  industries  of  the  town. 

Though  its  house  of  worship  was  not  erected  until  1845-1846,  the 
First  Christian  church  of  Day  was  organized  by  Elder  H.  V.  Teal 
November  J  8,  1833.  Rev.  Elias  Sloat  was  the  first  pastor.  The  Re- 
formed Protestant  Dutch  church  of  Day  was  organized  by  Rev.  Dr. 
Andrew  Yates,  at  Day  Centre,  November  14,  1842.  A  stone  church 
was  built  two  years  later,  at  a  cost  of  $3,000.  Upon  the  completion  of 
the  structure  the  Board  of  Domestic  Missions  of  the  Reformed  Presby- 
terian Dutch  church  installed  Rev.  J.  A.  Lansing  as  pastor."  The 
Second  Christian  church,  afterwards  called  the  Christian  church  of 
West  Day,  was  formed  December  19,  1857,  by  Revs.  Elias  Sloat  and 
Latham  Coffin.  The  house  of  worship  was  commenced  in  1861,  but 
was  not  completed  until  December,  1865,  when  it  was  dedicated  by 
Rev.  W.  B.  H.  Beach. 

Wilton  being  an  agricultural  town  little  is  to  be  said  of  its  industrial 
or  commercial  growth.  It  is  worthy  of  note,  however,  that  an  attempt 
was  made  in  1859  to  found  a  permanent  academy  in  town.  In  that 
year  Stephen  Fradenburgh  of  Moreau  came  to  Wiltonville  and  erected 
a  building  west  of  the  village.  In  it  he  opened  a  school  in  the  fall  of 
1859,  calling  it  Wilton  academy.  After  a  precarious  existence  of  about 
two  years  the  enterprise  failed  for  want  of  financial  support. 

The  Loudon  Protestant  Methodist  church  of  South  Wilton,  an  offshoot 
from  the  Methodist  Episcopal,  church,  built  a  house  of  worship  in  1833. 
Deyoe  Esmond  was  an  early  preacher. 

Clifton  Park,  too,  is  an  agricultural  town  principally,  its  other  indus- 
tries being  unimportant.  The  town  formerly  supported  an  excellent 
educational  institution,  known  as  the  Jonesville  academy.  This  insti- 
tution was  founded  by  Roscius  R.  Kennedy.  It  originated  in  a  small 
select  school  opened  in  1836  by  Mrs.  Roger  King.  In  1840  the  school 
was  removed  to  the  premises  where  the  academy  was  finally  located, 
where  John  Oakley  of  New  York  opened  it  for  boarding  pupils.  In 
that  year  a  brick  building  was  erected,  suitable  for  the  accommodation 
of  fifty  boarding  pupils.     In   1841,   with   Prof.  Hiram  A.  Wilson'  as 

'  From  law  to  1867  the  church  was  without  a  pastor.  In  June  of  the  latter  year  it  was  decided 
to  change  the  society  into  a  purely  Presbyterian  one,  and  to  join  the  Albany  presbytery.  Rev. 
David  Edgar  became  the  first  pastor  of  the  reorganized  society. 

=  Hiram  A.  Wilson,  son  of  Abijah  Wilson,  was  born  in  Winchester,  Conn.,  December  19, 1818 ; 
graduated  from  Wesleyan  university  at  Middletown,  Conn.,  in  1888 ;  sailed  the  same  year  for 
Buenos  Ayres,  where  for  two  years  he  conducted  the  first  missionary  school  in  that  city.    He 


214  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

principal,  it  was  formally  opened  as  an  academy.  He  remained  in 
charge  until  1860.  In  1849  the  academy  was  incorporated  and  passed 
under  the  protection  of  the  Regents.  Upon  the  retirement  of  Prof. 
Wilson  these  persons  acted  as  principals:  Rev.  Messrs.  B.  M.  Hall, 
Austin,  Fenner,  King,  Brino,  Kempton  and  Savage.  The  institution 
became  financially  embarrassed  in  1870  and  was  compelled  to  give  up 
its  charter,  and  six  years  later  closed  its  career.  Roscius  R.  Kennedy, 
the  founder,  who  became  sole  trustee  upon  its  incorporation,  was  for 
many  years  the  principal  support  of  the  academy. 

October  8,  1836,  the  M.  E.  Church  at  Rexford's  Flats,  in  Clifton 
Park,  was  organized,  the  first  officers  being  William  Shepherd,  Roscius 
R.  Kennedy,  Nathan  D.  Garnsey,  Henry  M.  Hayner  and  Luther  B. 
Orcutt.  The  house  of  worship,  erected  the  following  year,  was  ded- 
icated December  9,  1840. 

Half  a  dozen  saw  mills  and  grist  mills  and  one  or  two  tanneries  com- 
prised the  bulk  of  the  industries  of  Providence  up  to  the  time  of  the 
war,  aside  from  farming.  Two  churches  were  organized  in  the  town 
during  the  period  under  discussion.  One  of  these  was  the  Protestant 
Methodist  church  at  West  Providence,  which  was  formed  in  1841-1842. 
Rev.  Peter  Esmond  was  the  first  pastor.  The  church  was  built  about 
one  and  one-half  miles  northeast  of  Hagedorn's  Mills.'  The  other 
church  was  the  Christian  church  at  Barkerville,  an  offshoot  of  the  Gal- 
way  church,  and  was  organized  May  3,  1845.  The  house  of  worship 
was  built  that  year  and  dedicated  in  the  spring  of  1846,  Rev.  Allen 
Hay  ward  preaching  the  sermon. 

The  Saratoga  County  Agricultural  society  was  organized  in  the  court 
house  At  Ballston  Spa  June  24,  1841,  in  accordance  with  a  law  passed 
May  15,  of  that  year,  providing  for  the  formation  of  agricultural  so- 
cieties in  the  various  counties  of  the  State.  At  this  meeting  Howell 
Gardiner  of  Greenfield  was  appointed  chairman  and  Archibald  Smith 

then  returned  home;  May  13, 1841,  married  Hannah  Bosworth  of  West  Hartland,  Conn.,  and  in 
the  fall  of  that  year  became  principal  of  the  Jonesville  academy,  remaining  nearly  twenty  years. 
He  then  removed  to  Brattleboro,  Vt.,  where  he  became  superintendent  of  public  instruction.  In 
1863  he  removed  to  Saratoga  Springs,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  There  he  became 
president  of  the  board  of  education  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  founding  of  the  present  public 
school  system  of  that  village.  He  was  actively  interested  in  the  building  of  tlie  M.  E.  church 
there.  In  the  first  general  conference  of  the  M.  B.  church  which  admitted  lay-delegates  (in  1873) 
Prof.  Wilson  was  one  of  the  two  lay  delegates  representing  the  Troy  conference. 

'  After  an  existence  of  thirty  years  this  society  died  out  in  the  fall  of  1871,  when  a  Methodist 
Episcopal  society  was  organized,  and  the  church  property  passed  into  its  hands.  Henry  T.  Tre- 
vett  and  John  Shanley  were  the  first  trustees,  and  Rev.  Julius  Stewart  the  first  pastor.  This  so- 
ciety, too,  finally  died  out. 


SARATOGA  COUNTY  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY.  215 

of  Ballston  Spa  secretary.  Calvin  Wheeler,  A.  J.  Chadsey,  Judiah  Ells- 
worth, Increase  Hoyt  and  John  A.  Corey  were  made  a  committee  to 
draft  a  constitution  and  by-laws.  The  first  officers  of  the  society, 
chosen  at  that  meeting,  were : 

President,  Howell  Gardiner,  Greenfield;  first  vice-president,  Calvin  Wheeler,  Provi- 
dence ;  second  vice-president,  Jacob  Denton,  Saratoga  Springs ;  treasurer,  Hiram  E. 
Howard,  Milton ;  corresponding  secretary,  Archibald  Smith,  Ballston  Spa ;  recording 
secretary,  John  A.  Corey,  Saratoga  Springs;  executive  committee,  Isaac  Curtis, 
Stephen  Merchant,  Ballston;  John  Low,  Henry  Ostrom,  Charlton;  Abijah  Peck,  jr., 
Henry  Palmer,  Clifton  Park ;  David  Rogers,  Edward  Edwards,  Corinth ;  E.  M.  Day, 
Amos  Hunt,  Day;  Samuel  Batcheller,  Ira  Beecher,  Edinburgh;  Jesse  H.  Mead, 
Jeremiah  Whitlock,  Galway;  Joseph  Daniels,  Henry  Lincoln,  Greenfield;  Charles 
Stewart,  Harmon  Rockwell,  Hadley;  N.  G.  Philo,  Stephen  R.  Smith,  Halfmoon; 
John  Tallmadge, ' Seneca  Hall,  Malta;  Seth  Whalen,  George  B.  Powell,  Milton; 
Thomas  S.  Mott,  G.  P.  Reynolds,  Moreau ;  Walter  Doty,  Coles  Golden,  Northumber- 
land; William  V.  Clark,  Seymour  St.  John,  Providence;  Henry  D.  Chapman,  William 
Wilcox,  Saratoga;  P.  H.  Cowen,  John  H.  Beech,  Saratoga  Springs;  Lewis  Smith, 
Yates  Lansing,  Stillwater;  John  Knickerbacker,  John  Cramer  3d,  Waterford;  John 
Morris,  Duncan  McGregor,  Wilton. 

For  the  first  two  or  three  years  the  annual  fairs  of  the  society  were 
held  at  Ballston  Spa,  when  the  society  located  at  Saratoga  Springs. 
The  grounds  and  buildings  thereon  were  sold  in  1870,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  the  society  leased  the  grounds  known  as  Glen  Mitchell, 
where  the  fairs  were  held  for  many  years.  In  1865  the  New  York 
State  Agricultural  society  held  a  fair  at  Glen  Mitchell,  the  Saratoga 
County  society  giving  no  exhibit  that  year.  In  the  fall  of  1882,  largely 
through  the  efforts  of  Col.  F.  D.  Curtis  of  Charlton,  the  fair  was  located 
permanently  at  Ballston  Spa,  where  it  has  since  been  held  annually. 
The  present  grounds  were  purchased  in  1890.  The  presidents  of  the 
society  have  been : 

1843,  Howell  Gardiner;  1843,  Elisha  Curtis;  1844,  Joseph  Danjels;  1845,  David 
Rogers;  1846,  Henry  D.  Chapman;  1847,  Samuel  Cheever;  1848^  Samuel  Young; 
1849,  Jesse  H.  Mead;  1850,  Seth  Whalen;  1851,  Lewis  E.  Smith;  1854,  William  Wil- 
cox; 1855,  Seneca  Daniels ;  1856,  Chauncey  Boughton ;  1857,  Nathaniel  Mann;  1858, 
Oscar  Granger;  1859,  Isaac  Frink;  1860,  William  Wilcox;  1861,  Joseph  Baucus; 
1863,  Sherman  Batcheller;  1863,  Samuel  J.  Mott;  1864,  Edward  Edwards;  1865, 
Chauncey  Boughton ;  1866-1867,  Isaiah  Fuller;  1868,  Frank  D.  Curtis ;  1869,  De  Witt 
C.  Hoyt;  1870,  John  Titcomb;  1871-1873,  John  P.  Conkling;  1873,  William  Lape; 
1874,  Henry  C.  Holmes;  1875,  Joseph  B.  Enos;  1876,  A.  B.  Baucus;  1877,  Charles 
Lela'nd;  1878-1879,  Benjamin  F.  Judson;  1880-1881,  Seymour  Gilbert;  1883-1885, 
Frank  D.  Curtis;  1886,  George  West;  1887,  William  J.  Parkinson;  1888,  William  A. 
Collamer ;  1889-1895,  William  C.  Tallmadge ;  1896,  George  C.  Valentine ;  1897- 
Henry  C.  Dater. 


316  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

We  have  endeavored  to  trace,  in  this  and  preceding  chapters,  the 
development  of  various  communities  of  the  county  along  the  various 
lines  of  commerce  and  industry,  of  education,  of  religious  growth,  etc., 
up  to  the  year  1861,  when  the  country  was  plunged  into  the  horrors 
of  its  terrible  Civil  war.  The  hardships  wrought  by  this  war,  the 
scarcity  of  money,  the  interruption  of  commerce  and  the  high  prices 
demanded,  of  necessity,  for  the  various  commodities  necessary  to  the 
operation  of  manufacttiring  plants,  as  well  as  to  actual  existence,  ren- 
dered the  maintenance  of  many  industries  unprofitable,  and  Saratoga 
county  suffered  as  did  all  other  sections  of  the  country.  Before  pro- 
ceeding with  the  story  of  the  modern  development  of  the  county, 
we  shall  endeavor  to  describe,  accurately  if  not  with  eloquence,  the 
part  which  the  inhabitants  of  Saratoga  county  played  in  the  great, 
awful  drama  of  war  from  1861  to  1865. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


Participation  of  Saratoga  County  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion— The  Seventy- 
Seventh  and  Thirtieth  Regiments  of  Infantry  and  Their  Career  During  the  War — 
Morgan  H.  Chrysler's  Second  Veteran  Cavalry— The  One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth 
— Other  Regiments  in  which  Inhabitants  of  the  County  Fought — Officers  of  the 
Seventy-Seventh  and  Thirtieth,  with  Promotions,  Discharges,  Resignations  and 
Deaths — Names  of  the  Men  from  Saratoga  County  Who  Fought  in  the  War,  and  the 
Towns  Which  Furnished  Them. 

SEVENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT. 

In  recording  the  history  of  the  participation  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Saratoga  county  in  the  great  Civil  war,  or  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  it 
is  unnecessary  to  go  into  the  details  of  that  tremendous  crisis  in  our 
nation's  career.  All  know  of  the  causes  leading  up  to  that  memorable 
struggle.  After  the  defeat  at  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run,  the  North 
was  greatly  humiliated,  while  the  South  was  correspondingly  elated. 
The  rebels  had  established  their  government,  with  Richmond  as  their 
capital  and  Jefferson  Davis  as  their  president.  The  first  two  calls  for 
volunteers  had  been  met  promptly  by  the  loyal  States.  Anticipating 
a  further  demand  for  reinforcements  for  the  army  in  the  field,  Hon. 
James  B,  McKean  of  Saratoga  Springs,  then  representing  his  congress- 


THE  SEVENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  217 

ional  district  (the  Fifteenth,  now  the  Twenty-second)  in  the  House  of 
Representatives,  on  August  21,  1861,  issued  a  circular  letter  to  his 
constituents.  It  was  also  published  in  the  Daily  Saratogian,  of  Sara- 
toga Springs,  and  afterward  reprinted  in  many  other  papers  through- 
out Saratoga  and  adjoining  counties.     The  letter  read  as  follows : 

Fellow  Citizens  of  the  Fifteenth  Congressional  District: 

Traitors  in  arms  seek  to  overthrow  our  constitution  and  to  seize  our  capitol. 
Let  us  go  and  help  to  defend  them.  Who  will  despond  because  we  lost  the  battle  of 
Bull  Run?  Our  fathers  lost  the  battle  at  Bunker  Hill,  but  it  taught  them  how  to  gain 
the  victory  at  Bemus  Heights. 

Let  us  learn  wisdom  from  disaster,  and  send  overwhelming  numbers  into  the  field. 
Let  farmers,  mechanics,  merchants,  and  all  classes — for  the  liberties  of  all  are  at 
stake — aid  in  organizing  companies. 

I  will  cheerfully  assist  in  procuring  the  necessary  papers.  Do  not  misunderstand 
me.  I  am  not  asking  for  an  office  at  your  hands.  If  you  who  have  most  at  stake 
will  go,  I  will  willingly  go  with  you  as  a  private  soldier. 

Let  us  organize  a  Bemus  Heights  Battalion,  and  vie  with  each  other  in  serving 
our  country,  thus  showing  we  are  inspirited  by  the  holy  memories  of  the  Revolution  - 
ary  battle  fields  upon  and  near  which  we  are  living. 

Jas.  B.  McKean. 
Saratoga  Springs,  Aug,  21,  1861. 

The  effect  of  this  call  to  arms  was  electrical.  The  response  was  in- 
stantaneous and  general,  not  only  throughout  every  town  in  Sar3,toga 
county,  but  from  adjoining  counties.  Recruiting  stations  were  opened 
.in  many  places.  Everywhei^e  enthusiasm  abounded.  From  the  office 
of  the  adjutant  general  at  Albany  orders  were  issued  establishing  a 
branch  depot  and  recruiting  station  at  Saratoga  Springs,  and  directing 
that  all  companies  being  organized  for  the  new  regiment  should  ren- 
dezvous there  preparatory  to  being  mustered  into  the  service  of  the 
United  States  government.  The  county  fair  grounds  east  of  the  vil- 
lage were  selected  as  a  camping  ground  and  soon  put  in  readiness  for 
the  new  troops.  The  place  was  named  Camp  Schuyler,  in  honor  of  the 
gallant  General  Philip  Schuyler  of  Revolutionary  fame.  So  general 
and  so  rapid  was  thie  response  to  the  call  of  Mr.  McKean,  that  by  Octo- 
ber 1  over  six  hundred  men,  divided  into  seven  companies,  had  enlisted 
and  encamped  at  this  rendezvous.  These  companies_^elected  officers  as 
follows : 

Saratoga  Springs  company.— Captain,  Benjamin  F.  Judson;  first  lieutenant.  L.  M. 
Wheeler. 
Ballston  Spa  company. — Captain,  C.  C.  Hill ;  first  lieutenant,  N.  P.  Hammond. 
Wilton  company. — Captain,  Winsor  B.  French;  first  lieutenant,  John  Carr. 


318  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Northumberland  company — Captain,  Calvin  Rice ;  first  lieutenant,  James  Terhune. 
Greenfield  company. —Captain,  Lewis  "Wood;  first  lieutenant,  William  B.  Carpenter. 
Charlton  company.— Captain,  A.  F.  Beach ;  first  lieutenant,  N.  H.  Brown. 
Westport  company — Captain,  R.  W.  Arnold ;  first  lieutenant,  William  Douglas. 

After  October  1  the  following  companies  entered  camp :  The  Water- 
ford  company,  in  command  of  Jesse  White ;  the  Stillwater  and  Half- 
moon  company,  in  command  of  John  C.  Green;  the  Clifton  Park  com- 
pany, in  command  of  J.  B.  Andrews;  the  Edinburgh  and  Providence 
company,  in  command  of  John  J.  Cameron;  the  Keeseville  company, 
in  command  of  Wendell  Lansing;  the  Greenwich  company,  in  com- 
mand of  Henry  R.  Stone,  and  the  Gloversville  company,  in  command 
of  N.  S.  Babcock. 

Several  of  these  little  commands  not  being  full  organizations,  the 
companies  from  Waterford,  Stillwater,  Halfmoon,  Clifton  Park,  Edin- 
burgh and  Providence  were  soon  afterward  consolidated  into  one  com- 
pany, which  elected  J.  B.  Andrews  captain,  Jesse  White  first  lieutenant 
and  John  J.  Cameron  second  lieutenant,  John  C.  Green  of  Mechanic- 
ville  having  been  compelled  to  return  home  on  account  of  ill  health. 
The  companies  from  Keeseville  and  Greenwich  also  consolidated,  choos- 
ing Wendell  Lansing  captain  and  Jacob  F.  Haywood,  first  lieutenant. 
Gloversville  sent  a  complete  company.  Soon  after  going  into  camp 
the  officers  secured  quarters  at  Congress  Hall,  where  they  studied  mil- 
itary tactics  and  received  instructions  in  the  manual  of  arms,  sword 
practice  and  army  regulations,  until  the  regiment  was  ready  to  go 
south.  Every  day  recruits  were  added  to  the  ranks,  and  the  company 
orgianizations  were  finally  completed. 

Several  changes  in  officers  were  made.  Winsor  B.  French,  who  had 
entered  camp  as  captain  of  the  Wilton  company,  holding  the  rank  of 
fourth  captain,  resigned  at  the  request  of  Colonel  McKean  and  be- 
came adjutant  on  the  latter's  staff,  with  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant. 
On  account  of  age  and  ill  health  Wendell  Lansing  resigned  as  captain  of 
the  company  recruited  from  Keeseville  and  Greenwich,  and  Frank  Nor- 
ton of  Greenwich  was  chosen  to  succeed  him.  James  Terhune,  first 
lieutenant  of  the  Northumberland  company,  resigned  and  was  succeeded 
by  George  S.  Orr.  Each  company  by  this  time  having  full  ranks,  the 
organization  was  completed  and  the  captains  drew  by  lot  their  places  in 
line,  as  follows: 

Company  A.— Captain,  Read  W.  Arnold;  first  lieutenant,  William  Douglas;  sec- 
ond lieutenant,  James  H.  Farnsworth ;  all  of  Westport,  Essex  county. 


THE  SEVENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  219 

Company  B.— Captain,  Clement  C.  Hill;  first  lieutenant,  Noble  P.  Hammond; 
second  lieutenant,  Stephen  S.  Horton ;  all  of  Ballston  Spa. 

Company  C. — Captain,  Benjamin  F.  Judson;  first  lieutenant,  Luther  M.  Wheeler; 
second  lieutenant,  John  Patterson ;  ail  of  Saratoga  Springs. 

Company  D. — Captain,  John  Carr ;  adjutant  and  first  lieutenant,  Winsor  B.  French ; 
second  lieutenant,  Chester  H.  Fodow;  all  of  Wilton. 

Company  E. — Captain,  Lewis  Wood,  Greenfield ;  first  lieutenant,  William  B.  Car- 
penter, Providence ;  second  lieutenant,  Halsey  Bowe,  Saratoga. 

Company  F. — Captain,  Judson  B.  Andrews,  Mechanicville ; -first  lieutenant,  Jesse 
White,  Waterford ;  second  lieutenant,  John  J.  Cameron,  Saratoga. 

Company  G. — Captain,  Calvin  Rice,  Northumberland ;  first  lieutenant,  George  S. 
Orr,  Gansevoort ;  second  lieutenant  and  quartermaster,  Lucius  E.  Shurtleff,  Galway. 

Company  H. — Captain,  Albert  F.  Beach,  Ctiarlton ;  first  lieutenant,  N.  HoUister 
Brown,  Charlton ;  second  lieutenant,  George  D.  Storey,  Malta. 

Company  I. — Captain,  Franklin  Norton,  Greenwich;  first  lieutenant,  Jacob  F. 
Haywood,  Keeseville ;  second  lieutenant,  Martin  Lennon,  Keeseville. 

Company  K. — Captain,  Nathan  S,  Babcock ;  first  lieutenant,  John  W.  McGregor ; 
second  lieutenant.  Philander  A.  Cobb;  all  of  Gloversville. 

The  following  field  and  staff  officers  were  then  appointed : 

Colonel,  James  B.  McKean,  Saratoga  Springs ;  lieutenant  colonol,  Joseph  C.  Hen- 
derson, Albany;  major,  Selden  Hetzel,  Albany;  surgeon,  John  L.  Perry,  M.  D. , 
Saratoga  Springs;  assistant  surgeon,  George  T.  Stevens,  M.  D.,  Westport;  chaplain, 
David  Tully,  Ballston  Spa;  adjutant,  Winsor  B.  French,  Wilton ;  quartermaster, 
Lucius  E.  Shurtleff,  Galway. 

These  officers  were  all  duly  commissioned  by  Governor  E.  P.  Mor- 
gan and,  with  the  enlisted  men,  on  November  23,  1861,  mustered  into 
the  service  of  the  United  States  for  the  whole  period  of  the  w,ar.  Five 
dayp  later  the  regiment,  which  had  been  given  the  number  of  seventy- 
seven,"  marched  out  of  camp  and  started  on  the  journey  to  Washington. 
On  account  of  sickness  and  absence  on  furloughs  a  few  men  in  each 
company  were  not  able  to  leave  with  the  regiment.  First  Lieutenant 
Noble  P.  Hammond  of  Company  B  was  left  at  Camp  Schuyler  and  a 
few  days  later  left  for  the  front  in  charge  of  those  whose  departure  had 
been  delayed  by  these  circumstances. 

The  Seventy  Seventh  Regiment  proceeded  to  Albany  over  the  line 
of  the  Rensselaer  and  Saratoga  railroad,  passing,  through  Ballston  Spa, 

1  The  Seventy-seventh  Regiment  was  also  popularly  known  as  "the  Bemus  Heights  battalion," 
a  name  which  had  been  given  to  it  while  in  process  of  organization  by  James  B.  McKean.  The 
numerical  strength  of  the  regiment  when  fiuUy  organized  at  Camp  Schuyler  was  as  follows : 
Total  strength,  eight  hundred  and  sixty-four  men,  divided  as  follows  :  Field  and  staff,  eight ; 
Company  A,  eighty-seven ;  Company  B,  ninety-four ;  Company  C,  eighty-one ;  Company  D, 
eighty-three;  Company  E,  eighty-three;  Company  F,  eighty-five;  Company  G,  eighty-eight: 
Company  H,  eighty-three  ;  Company  I,  eighty-two  ;  Company  K,  ninety.  These  figures  include 
the  oiHcers,  three  to  each  company. 


220  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Mechanicville  and  Waterford.  All  along  the  route  of  travel  the  regi- 
ment received  a  continued  ovation.  At  Albany  the  journey  was  con- 
tinued to  New  York  by  boat  down  the  Hudson  river.  In  the  metrop- 
olis a  number  of  people  who  formerly  resided  in  Saratoga  county 
banqueted  the  soldiers,  and  presented  to  the  regiment  a  handsome 
banner  and  guidons.  One  side  of  the  banner  contained  a  representa- 
tion of  an  engagement  in  which  soldiers  of  the  Revolution,  led  by 
Washington,  were  fighting  under  the  old  flag  with  thirteen  stripes  and 
the  Union  Jack.  On  the  other  side  was  pictured  Burgoyne's  surrender 
under  the  new  flag,  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  which  was  first  unfurled  in 
battle  at  Bemus  Heights. 

December  1,  1861,  the  Seventy-seventh  Regiment  arrived  at  the  na- 
tional capital  and  went  into  camp  at  Meridian  Hill,  about  two  miles 
north  of  the  city.  Here  it  remained  until  February  15,  1862,  when  it 
crossed  the  Potomac  and  joined  the  Third  Brigade  of  the  Second  Divi- 
sion, at  Camp  Griffin.  The  regiment  remained  a  part  of  this  brigade 
and  division  until  the  close  of  the  war.  This  brigade  also  included  the 
Thirty-third  and  Forty-ninth  New  York  and  the  Seventh  Maine  Regi- 
ments, and  was  in  command  of  General  Davidson.  The  division  was  in 
command  of  General  William  Farrar  Smith,  popularly  known  as  "  Old 
Baldy."  From  here,  on  March  8,  the  division  proceeded  to  Manassas. 
No  enemy  being  found  there,  it  was  decided  to  proceed  by  way  of 
Fortress  Monroe  and  the  Peninsula  against  Richmond.  Moving  down 
the  river,  the  Seventy-seventh  debarked  at  Hampton,  a  small  village 
west  of  the  fort.  On  the  26th  of  the  month  a  reconnaissance  in  force 
was  ordered,'  but  there  was  no  engagement  with  the  enemy  until  April 
4.  On  that  day  the  Confederates  were  found  entrenched  at  Lee's  Mills, 
about  three  miles  west  of  Yorktown,  their  earthwork  extending  across 
the  peninsula,  about  seven  miles.  In  the  first  skirmish  Private  Frank 
Jeffords  of  Company  C  was  killed,  the  first  death  in  battle  in  the  Sev- 
enty-seventh Regiment.     The  regiment  remained  in  this  locality  about 

*  Dr.  George  T.  Stevens  of  Westport,  who  was  assistant  surgeon  on  Colonel  McKean's  staff, 
writing  at  the  close  of  the  war  of  the  movements  of  the  regiment,  said:  "  In  this  advance  or  re- 
connaissance of  the  whole  army  the  qualities  of  the  indi  vidual  soldiers  composing  it  were  brought 
out  in  bold  relief.  During  the  months  we  had  been  in  winter  quarters  many  officers  and  men 
had  established  marvelous  reputations  for  bravery  and  hardihood,  merely  by  constantly  herald- 
ing their  own  heroism.  But  from  this  time  these  doughty  heroes  went  back.  Officers  suddenly 
found  cause  for  resigning,  and  enlisted  men  managed  to  get  sent  to  the  rear,  and  never  showed 
their  faces  at  the  front  again.  On  the  contrary,  sonie  who  were  really  invalids  insisted  on  drag- 
ging themselves  along  the  column,  fearful  that  an  engagement  might  take  place  in  which  they 
would  not  participate.  A  sifting  process  was  thus  commenced  throughout  the  whole  division, 
and,  to  its  honor,  the  poltroons  were  very  soon  sifted  out;  and  from  that  time  forth  Smith's 
Division  never  afforded  a  comfortable  resting  place  for  men  of  doubtful  courage." 


THE  SEVENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  221 

a  month,  and  during  this  time  many  deaths  from  fever  occurred.  May 
3  and  4  the  enemy  retreated  to  Williamsburgh,  whither  the  Union 
forces  followed  them,  engaged  them  in  a  long  and  severe  battle,  and 
drove  them  from  the  field.  During  this  fight,  however,  the  Seventy- 
seventh  was  not  called  into  action. 

May  15  the  army  advanced  to  White  House,  on  the  Pamunkey  river, 
where  part  of  it  was  reorganized,  the  Second  Division  becoming  apart 
of  the  Sixth  Corps  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  May  23  the  regiment 
reached  Mechanicsville,  a  small  village  within  sight  of  Richmond.  This 
place  was  defended  by  the  Seventh  and  Eighth  Georgia  Regiments  and 
a  battery.  The  latter  opened  fire,  which  was  quickly  returned.  Soon 
Colonel  McKean  was  ordered  to  charge  the  village  with  his  regiment. 
As  soon  as  the  order  was  given  the  men  of  the  Seventy-seventh  rushed 
forward  with  a  yell,  charging  furiously  and  noisily  down  the  little  hill. 
The  rebel  infantry,  well  nigh  paralyzed  by  the  onslaught,  fired  one 
volley  and  fled  precipitately,  as  did  the  rebel  battery.' 

Until  June  5  our  army  remained  in  this  vicinity,  principally  in  the 
captured  village.  June  5  it  was  ordered  to  Golden's  Farm,  on  the  south 
bank  of  the  Chickahominy.  Then  did  the  regiment  realize  that  it 
would  not  then,  at  least,  participate  in  the  advance  upon  Richmond. 
For  about  three  weeks  the  regiment  lay  at  this  point,  little  of  moment 
occurring  until  Colonel  McKean,  broken  down  by  illness,  was  obliged 
to  leave  the  regiment.  Other  officers  and  a  large  number  of  enlisted 
men  also  fell  victims  to  swamp  fevers  and  other  great  hardships,  and 
the  ranks  of  the  Seventy-seventh  were  greatly  depleted. 

In  the  lull  that  followed  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks  or  Seven  Pines,  May 
31  and  June  1,  in  which  McClellan  succeeded  in  driving  the  Confeder- 
ates back,  though  he  did  not  achieve  a  decisive  victory,  he  formed  the 
design  of  changing  his  base  of  supplies  from  the  White  House,  on  the 
Pamunkey,  to  some  suitable  point  on  the  James  river.  The  movement 
was  one  of  the  utmost  hazard,  and  before  it  was  fairly  begun  General 
Robert  E.  Lee,  who  on  June  3  had  succeeded  General  Joseph  E.  John- 
ston as  commander-in-chief  of  the  Confederate  army,  the  latter  having 
been  severely  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks,  on  June  35  swooped 
down  on  the  right  wing  of  the  Union  army  at  Oak  Grove,  and  a  hard- 
fought  battle  ensued  without  decisive  results.  .  On  the  next  day  an- 
other desperate  engagement  occurred  at  Mechanicsville,  and  this  time 

■  This  engagement  was  a  part  of  the  general  movement  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  against 
the  rebel  capital. 


223  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  northern  forces  won  the  field.  The  result  of  this  great  fight  was 
heralded  as  a  great  victory  for  the  Union  army,  and  the  joy  of  the 
victorious  forces  knew  no  bounds.  Everybody  believed  that  the  cap- 
ture of  Richmond  was  but  a  matter  of  a  few  hours — that  the  onward 
march  of  the  victors  would  be  irresistible. 

But  the  hope  was  not  fulfilled.  On  the  following  morning  the  brave 
Confederate  leader  renewed  the  struggle  at  Gaines's  Mill,  winning  a 
victory.  On  the  28th  there  was  but  little  fighting.  Meantime  the 
Seventy-seventh  had  been  told  to  prepare  quietly  to  retreat  on  a  moment's 
notice,  preparing  the  way  by  destroying  all  but  the  necessities  and  the 
most  valuable  effects  of  the  soldiers,  and  leaving  the  tents  standing. 

About  three  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Sunday,  June  29,  the  entire 
Second  Division  quietly  marched  to  Savage's  Station,  where  on  that 
day  they  assisted  in  the  repulse  of  the  rebel  forces.  All  that  night 
they  marched  toward  White  Oak  Swamp,  which  was  reached  at  day- 
break of  the  30th.  After  a  brief  respite  the  rebels  opened  a  terrific 
artillery  fire  upon  the  division,  throwing  it  into  the  utmost  confusion. 
Before  its  batteries  could  return  the  fire  with  any  appreciable  effect, 
the  horses  were  killed  and  most  of  the  cannon  rendered  useless.  The 
whole  division  was  thrown  into  a  panic,  and  at  once  retreated,  led  by 
the  Seventy-seventh  Regiment.  This  battle  is  known  as  that  of  Frazier's 
Farm  or  Glendale. 

On  that  night  the  Second  Division,  with  the  rest  of  the  army,  reached 
Malvern  Hill,  just  south  of  the  great  White  Oak  Swamp,  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  James,  twelve  miles  below  Richmond.  Although  this  posi- 
tion was  protected  by  the  Federal  gunboats  in  the  river,  General  Lee 
determined  to  carry  the  place  by  storm.  Accordingly,  on  the  morning 
of  July  1  the  whole  Confederate  army  rushed  forward  to  the  assault. 
The  Sixth  Corps  held  the  right  of  line,  and  was  not  actually  engaged. 
All  day  long  the  furious  struggle  for  the  possession  of  the  high  grounds 
continued.  Not  until  nine  o'clock  at  night  did  Lee's  shattered  columns 
fall  back  exhausted.  For  seven  days  the  terrific  din  of  battle  had  been 
heard  almost  without  cessation.  No  such  dreadful  scenes  had  ever  be- 
fore been  enacted  on  the  American  continent ! 

This  practically  ended  the  campaign.  The  Federal  army  had  lost 
more  than  15,000  men,  and  the  Confederate  losses  had  been  still  heavier. 
The  capture  of  Richmond,  the  great  object  for  which  the  expedition 
had  been  undertaken,  seemed  further  off  than  ever,  and  all  the  moral 
effect  of  a  great  victory  remained  with  the  exultant  South.     July  2,  the 


THE  SEVENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  223 

day  following  the  battle  of  Malvern  Hill,  General  McClellan  retired 
with  his  army  to  Harrison's  Landing,  a  few  miles  down  the  river. 

The  Seventy- seventh  Regiment  had  suffered  terribly  from  battle  and 
the  ravages  of  disease.  It  went  to  the  Peninsula  with  nearly  a  thou- 
sand men,  but  by  the  middle  of  June  but  a  quarter  of  that  number 
were  in  condition  for  active  service.  Many  had  been  killed  in  battle, 
others  had  died  of  fever,  and  others  lay  desperately  ill  or  wounded. 
Yet  the  losses  in  battle  had  been  the  least  considerable,  though  the 
regiment  had  always  been  in  close  proximity  to  the  enemy.  Colonel 
McKean,  stricken  with  typhoid  fever,  had  been  removed  to  Washington 
and  thence  to  his  home  at  Saratoga  Springs,  to  the  profound  regret  of 
himself  and  the  officers  and  men  of  his  regiment.'  Sooii  after  a  de- 
plorable accident  occurred.  Second  Lieutenant  Halsey  Bowe  of  Com- 
pany D,  one  of  the  most  popular  young  men  in  the  regiment,  had 
returned  to  the  camp  July  18,  after  an  absence  of  several  weeks,  fully 
restored  to  health.  The  following  day,  while  in  a  tent  conversing  with 
several  other  officers,  he  was  fatally  wounded  by  an  accidental  shot 
from  a  pistol.     He  died  in  Philadelphia  August  16. 

Besides  the  forced  retirement  of  Colonel  McKean,  several  other 
changes  occurred  among  the  officers  of  the  regiment  about  this  time. 
Among  them  Lieut. -Col.  Joseph  C.  Henderson  resigned  June  19,  and 
Quatermaster  Lucius  Shurtleff  resigned  June  21.  Maj.  Selden  Hetzel 
had  been  dismissed  by  order  of  the  secretary  of  war.  May  15.  Surgeon 
John  L.  Perry  had  al.so  resigned,  February  1.  Chaplain  David  Tully 
resigned  July  8."  Winsor  B.  French  of  Wilton,  who  had  entered  the 
regiment  as  captain  of  the  Wilton  company,  but  who,  at  the  solicitation 
of  Colonel  McKean,  had  resigned  to  become  adjutant  on  his  staff,  with 
the  rank  of  lieutenant,  was  promoted  to  major  June  1  and  to  lieutenant- 
colonel  July  18. 

August  16  the  regiment  left  Harrison's  Landing  and  proceeded  to 
Hampton,  near  Fortress  Monroe,  where  transports  were  waiting  to 
carry  the  Sixth  Corps  to  Alexandria,  where  it  arrived  August  23.  Its 
next  engagement  was  in  the  battle  of  Crampton  Pass,  following  which 
it  participated  in  the  battle  of  Antietam.     Lee's  invasion  of  Maryland 

1  When  Colonel  MoKean  tendered  his  resignation,  Secretary  Stanton,  instead  of  accepting  it, 
granted  him  an  indefinite  leave  of  absence,  and  advised  him  to  go  to  his  home  at  Saratoga 
Springs  and  try  to  regain  his  health.  He  did  so,  but  his  health  did  not  soon  return.  So  ill  was  he 
that  for  six  years  he  was  unable  to  practice  his  profession.  In  July,  1863,  while  confined  to  his 
bed,  he  again  tendered  his  resignation,  which  was  finally  accepted. 

2  Several  other  less  important  changes  are  noted  in  succeeding  pages  in  this  chapter. 


224  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

was  being  pushed  with  all  the  haste  possible.  In  the  Confederate  gen- 
eral's rear  was  McClellan's  whole  army.  On  the  night  of  September 
14  Lee  fell  back  to  Antietam  creek  and  took  a  strong  position  in  the 
vicinity  of  Sharpsburg.  On  the  morning  of  the  15th  there  was  some 
sharp  but  desultory  fighting  between  the  Union  and  Confederate 
cavalry.  During  the  afternoon  the  Federal  advance,  coming  in  on  the 
Sharpsburg  road  from  Keedysville,  received  the  opening  salutes  from 
the  Confederate  guns  on  the  Antietam.  But  nightfall  came  without  a 
serious  conflict.  On  the  following  morning  there  was  great  activity  of 
preparation  in  both  armies.  Later  in  the  day  General  Hooker's  corps, 
on  the  Union  right,  was  thrown  across  the  stream  which  separated  the 
combatants  and  brought  into  a  favorable  position  for  action.  In  this 
quarter  of  the  field  the  Confederate  left  under  General  Hood  was 
assaulted  and  driven  back  a  half  mile  in  the  direction  of  Sharpsburg. 
The  rest  of  the  day  an  irregular  cannonading  was  continued.  During 
the  night  General  Mansfield's  corps  crossed  the  Antietam  on  the  north 
bridge  and  joined  General  Hooker. 

On  the  morning  of  September  17  both  commanders  had  their  armies 
well  into  position,  the  Union  forces  being  strongest  in  number  and  the 
rebels  having  the  advantage  of  an  unfordable  stream  in  their  front.  It 
was  of  the  first  importance  that  General  McClellan  should  gain  and 
hold  the  four  stone  bridges  by  which  only  his  forces  could  be  thrown  to 
the  other  side.  General  Burnside,  who  was  ordered  to  take  the  lower 
bridge,  cross  over,  and  attack  the  division  of  A.  P.  Hill,  encountered 
unexpected  delays  and  was  greatly  retarded  in  his  movements.  On  the 
right  Hooker  renewed  the  battle  at  sunrise,  and  until  late  in  the  after- 
noon the  conflict  raged  with  almost  unabated  fury. 

In  this  engagement  Captain  Babcock  of  Company  K  was  in  command 
of  the  Seventy-seventh.  The  regiment  rushed  forward  and  received 
the  fire  bravely,  and  though  far  ahead  of  all  other  regiments,  it  stood 
its  ground  and  steadily  returned  the  fire.  Volley  after  volley  cut  down 
the  soldiers,  still  they  never  wavered  in  their  unprotected  position  until 
ordered  to  do  so  by  General  Smith.  When  it  formed  again  it  had 
thirty-three  men  killed  or  wounded.  But  the  advent  of  the  corps  to 
which  it  belonged  had  decided  the  contest  upon  the  right  of  the  line, 
and  after  the  first  charge  of  the  Third  Brigade  the  battle  lulled.  Be- 
fore the  next  day  General  Lee  withdrew  his  shattered  forces  from  their 
position  and  recrossed  the  Potomac  into  Virginia.  This  conflict  cost 
each  army  more  than  ten  thousand  men,  but  was  indecisive  in  its 
results. 


THE  SEVENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT.       ,  235 

Before  the  army  left  Harrison's  Landing  Major  French  and  Lieutenant 
Caw  were  sent  to  Saratoga  Springs  to  recruit  for  the  Seventy-seventh. 
Soon  after  their  arrival  a  war  meeting  was  held,  and  a  large  number 
of  men  enlisted.  In  October,  1862,  these  officers,  with  the  new  recruits, 
rejoined  the  regiment,  when  the  former,  now  Lieutenant-Colonel 
French,  took  command  of  the  regiment  and  reorganized  it.  Companies 
F  and  K  were  consolidated,  the  latter  was  replaced  by  the  new  com- 
pany from  Schuylerville,  and  the  remainder  of  the  new  recruits  were 
assigned  to  Companies  D  and  L  Soon  after  the  first  battle  of  Fred- 
ericksburg occurred,  but  the  regiment,  being  held  in  reserve,  met  with 
no  losses.  It  soon  after  went  into  winter  quarters  at  White  Oak  Church, 
where  it  remained  until  spring. 

On  the  second  day  of  May,  1863,  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  once  more 
crossed  the  Rappahannock  and  the  valiant  Sixth  Corps  was  ordered  to 
carry  the  heights  of  Fredericksburg  by  storm.  The  Seventy-seventh 
Regiment  led  the  Third  Brigade  as  a  skirmish  line,  crossed  the  plain 
at  double-quick  and  in  perfect  line,  under  command  of  Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel French.  Inspired  by  the  coolness  and  bravery  of  the  latter  officer, 
the  men  acted  as  if  they  were  simply  manoeuvering  for  practice,  with 
no  thought  of  an  enemy.  In  the  face  of  an  awful  hail  of  musketry, 
grape  and  canister  the  brave  fellows  charged  onward.  Men  fell  every 
instant,  but  others  sprang  into  their  places  and  with  cheers  continued 
to  lead  the  assault,  their  bayonets  fixed  determinedly.  Their  rush  was 
splendid,  irresistible,  and  the  rebels  retreated  in  confusion.  The  Sev- 
enty-seventh, unwavering  in  its  advance,  was  the  first  to  reach  the 
summit  of  Marye's  Hill,  where  it  captured  two  heavy  guns,  great  num- 
bers of  small  arms,  a  stand  of  colors  belonging  to  the  Eighteenth  Missis  ■ 
sippi  Regiment,  and  a  large  number  of  prisoners,  among  whom  was  Colo- 
nel Luce,  commander  of  the  latter  regiment.  The  Seventy-seventh  lost 
heavily,  but  it  covered  itself  with  glory  in  making  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  and  successful  charges  of  the  war.  Among  those  killed  was 
Captain  Luther  M.  Wheeler  of  Company  I,  who  fell  at  the  foot  of 
Marye's  Hill. 

The  following  day  the  fight  was  resumed  and  the  Sixth  Corps  was 
compelled  to  fight  Lee's  entire  army;  but  again  the  Seventy-seventh 
Regiment  held  the  left  front  of  the  line  and  maintained  its  position  as 
firmly  as  a  stone  wall.  A  few  days  afterward  the  regiment,  with  the 
rest  of  the  army,  went  into  camp  near  White  Oak  Church,  where  it 
remained  until  ordered  to  pursue  Lee  into  Pennsylvania.     In  the  march 

15 


226  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

to  Manchester,  Pa. ,  they  forced  their  way  over  a  hundred  miles  in 
four  days,  and  then,  almost  exhausted,  they  were  compelled  to  proceed 
at  once  to  the  relief  of  General  Reynolds  at  Gettysburg.  All  night 
and  all  day  they  picked  their  way  through  fields,  over  fences  and  ra- 
vines, up  hill  and  down,  marching  thirty-six  miles  in  fourteen  hours 
with  almost  no  food  or  drink.  This  corps  was  not  called  into  actual 
action  in  this  terrible  battle  of  the  first  three  days  of  July,  but  was  held 
in  reserve  until  Lee's  shattered  legions  began  their  retreat,  when  it 
followed  the  rebel  forces  over  the  mountains  to  Waynesboro. 

The  remainder  of  the  summer  and  the  fall  were  passed  in  compara- 
tive quiet  by  the  Seventy-seventh,  which  proceeded  by  easy  stages  to 
the  Rapidan.  While  encamped  for  three  weeks  at  Stone  House  Moun- 
tain the  line  officers  of  the  regiment  presented  to  Colonel  French  a 
handsome  sword,  following  which  were  festivities  of  a  most  pleasing 
character. 

Winter  was  now  coming  on.  On  December  1  the  short  campaign  of 
Mine  Run  began,  followed  by  the  return  to  camp  at  Brandy  Station. 
Here  the  Seventy-seventh  held  the  extreme  right  front  in  the  attack, 
and  when  the  army  retreated  across  the  Rapidan  it  acted  as  rear  guard 
to  the  entire  corps. 

May  4, 1864,  the  regiment  broke  camp  at  Brandy  Station  and  marched 
across  the  Rapidan,  participating  actively  the  following  day  in  the  first 
of  the  great  battles  of  the  Wilderness.  On  the  8th  they  reached  Spott- 
sylvania,  and  two  days  later  took  part  in  one  of  the  most  terrific  and 
bloody  charges  of  the  war.  The  Seventy-seventh,  and  eleven  other 
picked  regimentSj  were  placed  under  command  of  Colonel  Upton,  who 
led  them  in  a  charge  against  the  right  centre  of  the  Confederate  line. 
It  was  desperate  work,  and  the  rebels  would  not  retreat  until  forced  to 
do  so  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  in  a  hand-to-hand  fight;  but  the  first 
intrenchment,  then  the  second,  and  finally  the  third  were  captured  and 
the  rebels  driven  from  their  rifle-pits.  The  fire  of  the  enemy  was  ter- 
rible and  did  great  havoc,  but  not  a  man  faltered  for  an  instant.  The 
enthusiasm  in  the  face  of  such  deadly  peril  was  tremendous.  The  Union 
ranks  were  frightfully  reduced,  however,  among  those  killed  being 
Captain  William  B.  Carpenter  of  Company  D,  and  Second  Lieutenant 
William  F.  Lyon  of  the  same  company.' 

May  11  occurred  the  fight  in  the  "  bloody  angle,"  when  the  regiment 

'  Lieutenant  Lyon  was  officially  reported  as  missing,  but  is  believed  to  have  been  killed  in 
tbis  action. 


THE  SEVENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  227 

fought  hand  to  hand  with  the  enemy.  In  all  the  awful  "battles of  the 
Wilderness  "  the  regiment  participated,  generally  standing  the  first 
shock  of  battle,  and  likewise  sustaining  severe  losses.  This  experience 
was  repeated  at  Petersburg  on  June  10,  when  the  ranks  of  the  regiment 
were  still  further  thinned  out. 

On  July  9  the  First  and  Second  Divisions  of  the  Sixth  Corps  started 
for  the  defense  pi  Washington  against  the  threatened  attack  under 
direction  of  General  Early.  On  this  day  the  Seventy-seventh  Reg- 
iment left  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  forever.  It  arrived  at  the  national 
capital  July  13,  where  it  received  a  perfect  ovation  from  the  inhab- 
itants, who  had  been  fearful  of  being  compelled  to  flee  from  the  city. 

General  Early  had  stationed  his  forces  in  front  of  Fort  Stevens,  and 
Colonel  French  was  ordered  to  take  the  Seventy-seventh  New  York, 
the  Forty-ninth  New  York  and  the  Seventh  Maine  Regiments  and  dis- 
lodge the  daring  rebel  commander.  Colonel  French's  command  made 
a  brilliant  charge,  which  was  witnessed  by  President  Lincoln  and  other 
prominent  officials  who  were  in  the  fort,  putting  the  rebels  to  flight. 
Still  the  latter  made  a  stout,  though  brief,  resistance,  firing  as  they  re- 
treated and  doing  great  damage  to  the  pursuing  brigade. 

The  "  campaign  in  the  valley,"  which  virtually  ended  the  war,  gave 
the  noble  Seventy-seventh  Regiment  one  more  opportunity  to  add  to  the 
many  laurels  it  already  had  won.  After  helping  to  drive  Early  from 
before  Washington  the  regiment,  with  the  Sixth  Corps,  was  assigned 
to  the  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  which  had  been  placed  in  command 
of  the  valiant  Gen.  Philip  H.  Sheridan,  succeeding  General  Wright. 
Its  first  engagement,  as  a  part  of  this  army,  was  the  battle  of  Win- 
chester. The  troops  placed  at  Sheridan's  disposal  numbered  nearly 
40,000,  and  with  these  he  at  once  moved  up  the  valley.  On  Septem- 
ber 19  he  came  upon  Early's  army  at  Winchester,  attacked  and  routed 
him  in  a  hard-fought  battle.  In  this  fight  the  Seventy-seventh  again 
met  with  heavy  losses.  After  Winchester,  Early  retreated  to  Stras- 
burg,  where  he  occupied  a  very  strong  position;  but  Sheridan,  un- 
daunted, assailed  his  position  and  once  more  routed  the  daring  rebel 
chief. 

On  October  19  the  regiment  took  part  in  the  famous  battle  of  Cedar 
Creek,  "with  Sheridan  twenty  miles  away."  At  a  point  when  the  vic- 
torious rebel  column  were  driving  the  disorganized  fragments  of  the 
Eighth  and  Nineteenth  Corps  through  the  ranks  of  the  Sixth  corps,  the 
latter  band  of  veterans,  "  the  wearers  of  the  Greek  Cross,  whose  fame 


228  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

was  already  among  the  choicest  treasures  of  American  history,  was  to 
show  to  the  country  and  the  world  an  exhibition  of  valor  which  should 
tower  above  all  the  grand  achievements  of  the  war.  The  corps,  num- 
bering less  than  12,000  men,  now  confronted  Early's  whole  army  of 
more  than  thirty  thousand  men,  who,  flushed  with  victory,  already 
bringing  to  bear  against  us  the  twenty-one  guns  which  they  had  just 
captured  from  the  two  broken  corps,  rushed  upon  our  lines  with  those 
wild,  exultant  yells,  the  terror  of  which  can  never  be  conceived  by  those 
who  have  not  heard  them  in  the  field.  With  fearless  impetuosity  the 
rebel  army  moved  up  the  gentle  rise  of  ground  in  front  of  the  Sixth 
corps,  and  the  attack  from  one  end  of  the  line  to  the  other  was  simul- 
taneous. It  was  like  the  clash  of  steel  to  steel.  The  astonished  col- 
umns were  checked.  They  had  found  an  immovable  obstacle  to  their 
march  to  victory.'" 

The  greatest  shock  of  the  attack  fell  upon  the  Second  Division.  Bid- 
well's  Brigade  made  a  desperate  charge,  and  the  rebels  fled  in  confusion 
down  the  hill  which  they  had  just  ascended  with  such  confidence.  But 
our  men  were  driven  back  by  a  fearful  fire  from  the  rebel  artillery.  In 
the  engagement  many  lives  were  lost.  General  Bidwell  fell  while  per- 
sonally directing  the  charge.  Captain  Martin  Lennon  of  Company  I 
fell  mortally  wounded."  First  Lieutenant  William  J.  Taber  of  Com- 
pany K  and  First  Lieutenant  John  W.  Belding  of  Company  I  were 
killed  while  making  the  charge. 

The  wounding- of  General  Bidwell,  who  was  horribly  torn  by  a  burst- 
ing shell,  left  Colonel  Winsor  B.  French  of  the  Seventy-seventh  in 
command  of  the  brigade.  Under  hig  directions  the  broken  line  was 
once  more  quickly  formed  as  the  rebels  advanced  again  up  the  hill  with 
their  hideous  yell.  Once  more  the  brigade  stood  firm  as  a  rock ;  then 
came  the  counter-charge,  which  once  more  drove  the  rebels  back  in 
disorder,  down  the  hill  and  across  the  creek.  The  field  was  now  cov- 
ered with  the  dead  and  wounded  of  both  armies. 

But  the  Confederates  had  gained  a  distinct  advantage,  and  the  Union 
forces  felt  they  were  losing  ground,  despite  their  desperate  fighting. 
The  latter  retired  and  the  rebels  pursued  them  as  far  as  Middletown, 
two  miles  in  the  rear,  and  there,  believing  the  victory  complete,  paused 
to  eat  and  rest.     This  was  Early's  fatal  error. 

After  Sheridan  had  posted  his  army  on  Cedar  Creek  he  felt  secure, 

'  Dr.  George  T.  Stevens's  account. 
'  Captain  Lennon  died  from  his  wounds  November  1, 1864. 


THE  SEVENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT.  239 

at  least  temporarily,  and  rode  to  Washington  on  important  business. 
In  the  meantime  Early  had  surprised  the  Union  camp  and,  as  described 
in  the  foregoing,  sent  the  routed  troops  flying  in  confusion  toward 
Winchester,  as  far  as  Middletown.  On  the  previous  night  the  gallant 
Sheridan  had  returned  to  Winchester,  and  was  now  coming  to  rejoin 
his  army.  On  his  way  he  heard  the  sound  of  battle,  rode  his  magnifi- 
cent horse  twelve  miles  at  full  speed  under  the  spurs,  and  met  the 
panic-stricken  fugitives  not  a  moment  too  soon.  His  approach  was 
hailed  with  the  wildest  cheers  and  other  manifestations  of  delight  on 
the  part  of  the  well-nigh  discouraged  Northern  troops.  As  he  came 
onward  at  a  wild  gallop  and  passed  the  long  trains  of  ambulances  in 
which  lay  hundreds  of  his  beloved  troops,  with  shattered  limbs  or 
mangled  bodies,  they  rose  and  cheered  their  commander  with  the  wild- 
est enthusiasm. 

Reorganizing  the  line,  another  advance  upon  the  astonished  rebels 
was  ordered,  the  Second  Division  being  ordered  to  proceed  slowly. 
Colonel  French,  in  command  of  the  Third  Brigade,  which  was  sub- 
jected to  galling  fire,  with  heavy  loss  of  life,'  said  to  General  Getty,  "  I 
cannot  take  my  brigade  over  that  field  slowly."  "  Then  go  quickly," 
responded  General  Getty.  With  a  rush  and  prolonged  cheer  the  men 
crossed  over  the  field  and  drove  the  rebels  from  their  strong  position. 
Soon  the  Confederate  line  was  put  to  rout,  the  Sixth  Corps  pursuing  it 
through  the  valley  in  one  of  the  wildest  races  ever  beheld  in  any  battle. 
For  three  miles  they  chased  the  panic-stricken  rebels,  capturing  hun- 
dreds of  prisoners  and  many  batteries  without  stopping  to  reload  their 
guns.  This  ended  the  battle  and  the  participation  of  the  gallant  Sev- 
enty-seventh Regiment  in  the  war. 

Soon  after  this  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  Saratoga  Springs,  where 
it  arrived  November  33,  1864,  after  three  years  of  hard  fighting.  It 
was  received  with  a  remarkable  demonstration  on  the  part  of  a  large 
concourse  of  people  from  all  parts  of  Saratoga  and  surrounding  coun- 
ties. But  the  regiment  was  a  regiment  in  name  only.  Of  the  thirteen 
hundred  and  sixty-nine  men  who,  three  years  before,  had  left  for  the 
front  amid  huzzas  of  the  assembled  multitude,  but  fourteen  officers 
and  one  hundred  and  five  men  had  returned ! 

iln  this  charge  the  color-sergeant  of  the  Seventy-seventh  Regiment  fell  dead.  Another  ser- 
geant who  seized  the  flag  also  fell.  Adjutant  Gilbert  F.  Thomas,  a  handsome  and  brave  young 
officer,  seized  the  fallen  flag,  shouted,  '■'  Forward,  ^iien!  "  and  instantly  fell,  pierced  by  a  buUet. 
Thomas  was  promoted  to  a  corporal  in  Company  C  January  6, 1863,  and  to  second  lieutenant  May 
1,  1863. 


330  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

These  survivors  of  this  awful  struggle  were  escorted  to  the  public 
hall  where  they  were  welcomed  by  the  president  of  the  village,  John  S. 
Lake,  on  behalf  of  the  citizens  of  Saratoga  Springs.  After  a  prayer 
by  David  TuUy,  the  first  chaplain  of  the  regiment,  an  address  of  wel- 
come was  delivered  by  Colonel  James  B.  McKean,'  to  which  Colonel 
French  responded.  Dr.  Luther  F.  Beecher  read  a  poem  of  welcome 
which  had  been  composed  by  Mrs.  M.  C.  Beecher.  In  the  evening  the 
returned  heroes  were  banqueted  at  the  American  hotel,  when  speeches 
were  made  by  Hon.  C.  S.  Lester,  Hon.  James  M.  Marvin,  Hon.  A. 
Pond,  Hon.  James  M.  Cook,  William  A.  Sackett,  W.  M.  Potter,  officers 
and  soldiers  of  the  regiment  aud  others. 

December  13,  1864,  the  regiment  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  of 
the  United  States;  but  the  war  not  yet  having  terminated,  many  of  the 
men  who  had  enlisted  during  the  previous  winter  re  enlisted  and,  with 
the  recruits  added  to  the  regiment  in  1862  and  subsequently,  were  or- 
ganized into  a  battalion  under  Captain  David  J.  Caw  and  remained  at 
the  front  until  the  close  of  the  war.  December  9,  1864,-  this  battalion, 
with  the  Sixth  corps,  returned  to  Petersburg.  While  engaged  in  that 
vicinity  March  25,  1865,  several  men  were  killed,  including  Captain 
Sumner  Oakley  and  First  Lieutenant  Stephen  H.  Pierce.  In  the  final 
charge  at  Fort  Fisher  April  2,  the  battalion  and  the  Forty-ninth  New 
York  led  the  way,  helping  to  capture  thousands  of  prisoners,  many 
stands  of  colors  and  many  guns.  Following  this  came  the  fight  at 
Sailor's  Creek,  and  finally  the  surrender  of  the  Army  of  Virginia,  which 
closed  the  war.  The  battalion  soon  afterward  returned  to  Albany, 
where  it  was  mustered  out  June  27,  1865.  The  one  thousand  three 
hundred  and  sixty-nine  members  of  the  regiment  were  reported  as  fol- 
lows when  the  mustering  out  occurred,  December  13,  1864: 

>  James  B.  McKean  was  born  at  Hoosick,  Rensselaer  county,  N.  Y.,  August  5, 1831,  a  son  of 
Rev.  Andrew  McKean  and  Catharine  Bedell.  Subsequently  the  family  removed  to  the  town  o£ 
Saratoga,  thence  to  Halfmoon.  While  here  he  taught  in  the  Jonesville  academy  and  other 
local  schools.  When  twenty-three  years  of  age  he  was  elected  colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Forty-fourth  Regiment  of  the  New  York  State  militia,  receiving  his  commission  from  Gover- 
nor Silas  Wright.  In  June,  1847,  he  began  the  study  of  law  with  BuUard  &  Cramer,  at  Water- 
ford  ;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  March  5,  1849,  and  opened  an  office  at  Ballston  Spa.  June  20, 
1850,  he  married  Katharine  Hay,  daughter  of  Judge  William  Hay,  and  the  following  year  re- 
moved to  Saratoga  Springs.  Prom  1855  to  1858,  inclusive,  he  was  judge  of  Saratoga  county,  hav- 
ing been  elected  on  the  first  Republican  ticket  ever  nominated  in  the  county,  probably  in  the 
State.  In  1865  President  Lincoln  sent  him  to  Spanish-America  to  exchange,  the  ratifications  of 
a  treaty  with  Honduras.  In  1870  President  Grant  appointed  him  chief  justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Utah  Territory,  in  which  office  he  served  five  years,  subsequently  engaging  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  Salt  Lake  City. 


THE  THIRTIETH  REGIMENT.  331 

Mustered  out  with  the  regiment 105 

Transferred  to  battalion  and  left  in  field  (veterans) 151 

Transferred  to  battalion  and  left  in  field  (recruits) 364 

Killed  in  action 83 

Died  of  wounds  received  in  action 40 

Died  of  disease 140 

Missing  in  action,  most  of  whom  supposed  to  be  dead. 25 

Died  in  rebel  prisons 30 

Deserted 61 

Discharged  on  account  of  disability.. ^ 300 

Discharged  on  account  of  wounds  received  in  action 56 

Promoted  to  commissioned  officers 24 

Total - 1,369 

THIRTIETH  REGIMENT. 

The  Thirtieth  Regiment,  New  York  State  Volunteers,  ranked  second 
to  none  in  faithfulness  of  service  and  valorous  deeds  in  time  of  war. 
It  was  composed  of  Company  A,  recruited  at  Lansingburgh ;  Company 
B  of  Troy,  Company  C  of  Schenectady,  Company  D  of  Saratoga, 
Company  E  of  Poughkeepsie,  Company  F  of  Saratoga,  Company  G  of 
Saratoga  county,  Company  H  of  Hoosick,  Company  I  of  Troy  and 
Company  K  of  Valatie  and  Kinderhook.  The  regiment  was  organized 
by  the  election  of  Edward  Frisby  of  Albany  as  colonel,  Charles  E. 
Brintnall  of  Troy  as  lieutenant-colonel,  and  William  M.  Searing  of 
Saratoga  Springs  as  major.  The  other  officers  were :  Richard  C.  Bent- 
ley  of  Albany,  adjutant;  Charles  E.  Russ  of  Albany,  quartermaster; 
Dr.  Francis  L.  R.  Chapin  of  Albany,  surgeon;  Dr.  Julius  A.  Skilton, 
assistant-surgeon;  Robert  W.  Cross,  sergeant-major;  Bernard  Gilligan, 
quartermaster-sergeant ;  and  Thomas  Tilley,  standard-bearer. 

The  Thirtieth  was  organized  under  the  first  call  of  President  Lincoln 
for  75,000  men  to  serve  two  years.  The  line  officers  of  the  several 
companies  comprising  it  were  as  follows: 

Company  A. — Captain,  Samuel  King;  first  lieutenant,  John  H.  Campbell;  second 
lieutenant,  Francis  Dargen. 

Company  B. — Captain,  Walter  L.  Laning;  first  lieutenant,  Philip  Casey;  second 
lieutenant,  J.  Seymour  Scott. 

Company  C. — Captain,  B.  M.  Van  Voast;  first  lieutenant,  M.  V.  V.  Smith;  second 
lieutenant,  Edward  Van  Voast. 

Company  D. — Captain,  Miles  T.  Bliven;  first  lieutenant,  Mervin  G.  Putnam,  sec- 
ond lieutenant,  John  H.  Marston. 

Company  E. — Captain,  Harrison  HoUiday ;  first  lieutenant,  Edgar  S.  Jennings ;  sec- 
ond lieutenant,  Nathaniel  Palmer, 


232  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Company  F. — Captain,  Albert  J.  Perry ;  first  lieutenant,  Andrew  M.  Franklin ;  sec- 
ond lieutenant,  James  M.  Andrews,  jr. 

Company  G. — Captain,  Morgan  H.  Chrysler;  first  lieutenant,  William  T.  Conk- 
ling  ;  second  lieutenant,  Asa  L.  Gurney. 

Company  H. — Captain,  Walter  P.  Tillman;  first  lieutenant,  Lemuel  Ball;  second 
lieutenant,  F.  W.  Barnes. 

Company  I. — Captain,  John  M.  Landon;  first  lieutenant,  Samuel  W.  Potts;  second 
lieutenant,  Alonzo  Alden. 

Company  K. — Captain,  Bartholomew  Pruyn;  first  lieutenant,  Gilbert  W.  Becker; 
second  lieutenant,  Adam  Lampman. 

This  organization  was  completed  at  Albany,  June  1,  1861,  when  the 
regiment  was  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United  States  for  the 
term  of  two  years.  For  a  while  before  leaving  for  the  front  it  en- 
camped on  the  old  Rensselaer  county  fair  grounds  between  Troy  and 
Lansingburgh.  The  regiment  was  armed  with  ancient  flint-lock  mus- 
kets altered  to  cap-lock,  and  on  June  26  left  Albany  for  Washington, 
by  way  of  the  Hudson  river.  From  Washington  it  made  its  first  camp 
at  Bright  Wood,  near  where  Fort  Stevens  was  built.  Frorn  there  it 
proceeded  to  Arlington,  where  it  was  brigaded  with  the  Twenty-second 
and  Twenty-fourth  New  York  and  the  Brooklyn  Fourteenth  (afterwards 
the  Eighty- fourth  New  York),  making  the  First  Brigade  in  the  First 
Division  of  the  First  Army  Corps. 

From  this  time  until  April,  1862,  the  First  Brigade  spent  the  most  of 
its  time  in  building  forts  and  doing  picket  duty  between  Washington 
and  Fredericksburg.  In  the  latter  month  General  McClellan  prepared 
to  move  the  grand  Army  of  the  Potomac  toward  Richmond,  and  all 
felt  that  the  capture  of  the  Confederate  capital  and  the  subjugation  of 
the  rebellious  South  was  a  matter  of  a  few  months  only.  This  army 
numbered  nearly  200,000  men.  The  advance  proceeded  as  far  as  Ma- 
nassas Junction  and  Centre  Hill,  the  Confederates  falling  back  and 
forming  a  new  line  of  defenses  on  the  Rappahannock.  At  Manassas 
the  skirmish  line  moved  forward,  and  carried  the  works  of  the  enemy 
by  assault — only  to  find  that  the  rebels  had  fled  five  days  before.  Soon 
after  the  entire  First  Division  proceeded  to  Fredericksburg.  It  partici- 
pated in  the  action  at  the  latter  place,  described  in  the  story  of  the 
Seventy  seventh's  career;  then,  until  August,  1862,  it  performed  picket 
duty  and  made  reconnaissances.  In  the  latter  month  it  was  joined  by 
the  army  of  General  Pope,  engaging  under  his  command-in  the  battles 
of  Cedar  Mountain,  Rappahannock  Station,  White  Sulphnr  Springs, 
Gaines's  Corners,  Grafton  and  the  Second  Bull  Run.     It  then  entered 


THE  THIRTIETH  REGIMENT.  233 

McClellan's  army  again  and  fought  in  the  battles  of  South  Mountain 
and  Antietam.  In  the  battle  of  Chantilly,  August  30,  1862,  Colonel 
Frisby  was  killed,  and  sixteen  other  officers  and  two  hundred  and  four- 
teen men  were  either  kiUed  or  disabled.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Searing 
was  itpmediately  promoted  to  the  command  of  the  Thirtieth  Regiment. 

From  here  the  army,  now  in  command  of  General  Meade,  pursued 
the  enemy  to  Fredericksburg,  where  they  were  engaged  December  12 
and  13.  Soon  after  they  went  into  winter  quarters  at  Belle  Plain,  Va., 
General  Wadsworth  then  being  in  command. 

Among  those  killed  in  the  battle  of  Chantilly  were  Captain  Samuel 
King  and  Lieutenant  Frank  Dargen  of  Company  A.  Lieutenant  Philip 
Rice  of  Company  G  (Saratoga)  was  killed  in  the  night  attack  at  Grove - 
ton  on  August  29.  The  brigade  became  popularly  known  as  Hatch's 
Iron  Brigade  or  foot  cavalry,'  being  highly  complimented  for  its  be- 
havior under  fire.  Early  in  the  summer  of  1863  the  Thirtieth  Regi- 
ment was  ordered  home,  and  on  June  18  was  mustered  out  and  dis- 
charged at  Albany.  A  number  of  the  officers  and  men  subsequently 
joined  Lieutenant- Colonel  Morgan  H.  Chrysler,  who  organized  the 
Second  Veteran  Cavalry  Regiment,  re-entered  the  service  in  October, 
1863,  and  served  with  distinction  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

The  Thirtieth  Regiment  participated  in  the  following  battles:  Fal- 
mouth, April  7,  1862;  Massapomax,  August  6,  1862;  Rappahannock 
Crossing,  August  21,  22  and  23,  1862;  White  Sulphur  Springs,  August 
26,  1862;  Gainesville,  or  Gaines's  Corners,  August  28,  1862;  Groveton, 
August  29,  1862;  Bull  Run,  August  30,  1862;  South  Mountain  and 
Antietam,  September  4,  1862;  Fredericksburg,  December  13,"  14  and 
16,  1862;  Chancellorsville,  April  29  to  May  6,  1863." 

OTHER  ORGANIZATIONS. 

While  the  majority  of  the  inhabitants  of  Saratoga  county  who  fought 
in  the  war  served  in  either  the  Seventy-seventh  or  Thirtieth  Regiments, 
the  county  was  represented  in  other  organizations.     Among  these  was 

'  The  controversy  which  for  years  existed  as  to  which  brigade  was  entitled  to  be  called  the 
Iron  Brigade,  was  decided  in  favor  of  that  to  which  the  Thirtieth  Regiment  belonged,  and  it  is 
so  recorded  in  history.  The  Western  Regiments  which  claimed  the  title  are  now  known  as  the 
*'  Western  Iron  Brigade." 

^A  permanent  organization  of  the  regiment  was  effected  at  Saratoga  Springs  June  28,  1886. 
when  the  name  of  "  Thirtieth  Infantry  New  York  State  Volunteer  Association  "  was  adopted, 
On  the  official  list  giving  the  percentage  of  josses  incurred  at  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  the  Thir- 
tieth stands  third  with  nineteen  per  cent.  This  regiment  is  one  of  the  few  which  received  from 
the  United  States  government  a  flag  of  merit. 


334  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Colonel  Morgan  H.  Chrysler's  troop  of  veteran  cavalry  (the  Second), 
the  One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth,  tlie  Ninety-third,  the  Fifty- fourth,  the 
One  Hundred  and  Sixty-second,  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixty -ninth,  the 
One  Hundred  and  Fifty  third,  the  Ninety-second,  the  Fifty-first,  the 
Twenty  second,  the  Ninety  seventh,  the  Fifty-sixth,  the  Ninety ^ixth, 
the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third,  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth, 
the  Fifty-third,  the  Thirteenth,  the  Forty-seventh,  the  Eighty-third, 
the  Sixty-third,  the  Seventy-eighth,  the  Twentieth,  the  Twenty-fifth, 
the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty -fourth  and  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
fifth  Regiments,  New  York  Volunteers;  the  Twenty-fifth,  the  Sixth 
and  the  Twenty-first  Regiments  of  Cavalry;  the  Sixteenth  Heavy 
Artillery  Company,  the  Thirteenth  Artillery  Company,  the  First  Bat- 
tery, the  First  Rifle  Corps,  the  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  and  perhaps  in 
some  other  organizations,  as  well  as  in  the  regular  army  and  the  navy. 
The  Second  Regiment,  Veteran  Cavalry  '  was  organized  at  Saratoga 
Springs  by  Col.  Morgan  H.  Chrysler  and  others,  to  serve  three  years. 
The  companies  of  which  it  was  composed  were  raised  in  the  counties 
of  Saratoga,  Schenectady,  Montgomery,  Clinton,  Essex,  Warren,  Albany, 
Rensselaer  and  Columbia.  It  was  mustered  into  the  service  of  the 
United  States  from  August  16  to  December  30,  1863,  and  was  mus- 
tered out  of  service  November  8,  1865.  Following  is  a  register  of  the 
officers : 

Morgan  H.  Chrysler,  lieutenant-colonel,  December  14,  1863;  promoted  to  colonel 
December  14,  1863 ;  brevet  brigadier-general  and  major-general ;  mustered  out  with 
regiment. 

Asa  L.  Gurney,  lieutenant-colonel,  December  14,  1868;  mustered  out  with  reg- 
iment. 

Duncan  Cameron,  major,  December  14,  1863;  brevet  lieutenant-colonel;  mustered 
out  with  regiment. 

Edward  Van  Voast,  major,  December  14,  1863;  mustered  out  with  regiment; 
brevet  lieutenant-colonel. 

John  S.  Fassett,  major,  December  14,  1863 ;  mustered  out  with  regiment ;  brevet 
lieutenant-  colonel. 

Michael  A.  Stearns,  adjutant,  December  14,  1863 ;  resigned  March  29,  1864. 

Henry  W.  Heartt,  adjutant.  May  18, 1864;  deserted  to  the  enemy  October  19, 1864. 

Robert  Barber,  first  lieutenant,  December  14,  1863 ;  promoted  to  adjutant,  Decem- 
ber 7,  1864;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

David  Keene,  quartermaster,  December  14,  1863 ;  promoted  to  captain  May  18, 
1864;  discharged  August  27,  1865. 

1  The  brief  history  of  this  and  other  military  organizations  subsequently  referred  to  in  this 
chapter  is  taken  from  the  official  records  in  the  office  of  the  adjutant-general  of  the  State, of  New 
York  at  Albany. 


THE  SECOND  CAVALRY.  235 

Charles  P.  Carter,  quartermaster,  May  18,  1864;  promoted  to  captain  December 

14,  1864;  died  of  wounds  July  13,  1864. 

Charles  W.  Johnson,  second  lieutenant,  December  14,  1863;  quartermaster,  Sep- 
tember 34,  1864;  discharged  August  27,  1865. 

Hamilton  B.  Littlefield,  commissary,  December  14, 1863 ;  discharged  July  38,  1864. 

Foster  S.  Taylor,  commissary,  September  31,  1864;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

John  L.  Perry,  surgeon,  December  14,  1863;  resigned  June  12,  1864. 

Lucien  Dumainville,  assistant-surgeon,  December  14,  1863 ;  promoted  to  surgeon 
June  30,  1864 ;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Ichabod  King,  assistant-surgeon,  November  15,  1864;  not  mustered. 

Galusha  B.  Balch,  assistant-surgeon,  January  8, 1864;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Ransom  C.  Dwyer,  chaplain,  February  6,  1864;  died  at  St.  James  Hospital,  New 
Orleans,  June  80, 1864. 

Daniel  P.  Cilley,  chaplain,  April  32,  1865 ;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Lucius  E.  Wilson,  captain,  December  14,  1863 ;  mustered  out  with  regiment ;  brevet 
major. 

Thomas  F.  Allen,  captain,  December  14,  1863 ;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

David  Keene,  captain,  May  18,  1864 ;  discharged  August  27,  1865. 

Joseph  Strunk,  captain,  December  14,  1863 ;  mustered  out  with  regiment ;  brevet 
major. 

Gifford  W.  Chrysler,  captain,  December  14,  1863;  mustered  out  with  regiment; 
brevet  major. 

Smith  J.  Gurney,  captain,  December  14,  1863 ;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Henry  W.  Sanford,  captain,  December  14,  1863 ;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Charles  H.  Bentlej',  captain,  December  14,  1863;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Gilbert  W.  Becker,  captain,  December  14,  1863;  mustered  out  with  regiment; 
brevet  major. 

William  H.  Arlin,  captain,  December  14,  1863 ;  missing  since  June,  1864. 

Christopher  Dolan,  first  lieutenant,  December  14,  1863;  promoted  captain  July  21, 
1864;  mustered  out  with  regiment;  brevet  major. 

Andrew  M.  Franklin,  captain,  December  14,  1863 ;  resigned  April  21,  1864. 

Thomas  B.  Smith,  first  lieutenant,  December  14,  1863;  promoted  captain  July  21, 
1864;  died  of  disease  February  26,  1865. 

John  J.  Baker,  captain,  December  14,  1863 ;  discharged  September  33,  1864. 

Israel  Litno,  second  lieutenant,  December  14,  1863;  first  lieutenant,  July  21,  1864; 
captain  November  23,  1865;  not  mustered  as  captain,  commission  revoked;  mustered 
out  with  regiment. 

Mason  W.  Covell,  first  lieutenant,  December  14,  1863;  captain,  December  7,  1864; 
mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Frederick  D.  Ellis,  captain,  missing  since  December,  1863, 

Henry  L.  Jewett,  first  lieutenant,  December  16,  1863 ;  not  mustered. 

Thomas  Ledwick,  second  lieutenant,  December  14,  1863;  first  lieutenant,  March 

15,  1865 ;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Horace  W.  Lacca,  first  lieutenant,  December  14, 1863 ;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 
Delos  M.  Whife.  first  lieutenant,  December  14.  1863;  resigned  November  22,  1864. 
Charles  W.   Van  Patten,   second  lieutenant,  December  14,  1863;  first  lieutenant, 
January  30,  1865 ;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 


236  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Albert  Westinghouse,  first  lieutenant,  December  14,  1863 ;  killed  in  action  Decem- 
ber 10,  1864. 

Luman  L.  Cad  well,  first  lieutenant,  January  20, 1865;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Dan.  D.  Stone,  first  lieutenant,  December  14,  1863 ;  died  on  board  U.  S.  transport 
"  Iberville,"  bound  to  New  Orleans,  April  12,  1864. 

Augustus  P.  Higby,  second  lieutenant,  December  14,  1868 ;  first  lieutenant,  July 
21,  1864;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

George  W.  Steele,  first  lieutenant,  December  14, 1863 ;  discharged  February  26, 
1865. 

Eliakim  Chase,  first  lieutenant,  October  10, 1864;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Melville  S.  Dunn,  first  lieutenant,  December  14',  1863 ;  killed  in  action  April  4, 1864. 

Henry  W.  Thayer,  second  lieutenant,  July  21, 1864;  first  lieutenant,  November  23, 
1865 ;  not  mustered  as  first  lieutenant ;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Mason  I.  Gibson,  second  lieutenant,  December  14,  1863 ;  first  lieutenant.  May  18, 
1864;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Thomas  Hall,  first  lieutenant,  December  14,  1863 ;  died  of  wounds  April  14,  1864. 

Charles  Palmer,  second  lieutenant,  July  21,  1864;  first  lieutenant,  (but  not  mus- 
tered) November  23, 1865 ;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Henry  D.- Doty,  second  lieutenant,  December  14,  1863;  first  lieutenant,  July  31, 
1864;  cashiered  September  39,  1865. 

Miles  T.  Bliven,  first  lieutenant,  December  14,  1863 ;  discharged  August  9,  1864. 

George  F.  Beach,  second  lieutenant,  December  14,  1863 ;  first  lieutenant,  Decem- 
ber 7,  1864;  mustered  out  with  regiment;  brevet  captain. 

Henry  M.  Bailey,  second  lieutenant,  December  14,  1863;  first  lieutenant  July  31, 
1864;  mustered  out  with  regiment;  brevet  captain. 

Harper  W.  Rogers,  second  lieutenant,  December  14, 1863 ;  first  lieutenant  Decem- 
ber 7,  1864;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Enoch  H.  Gurney,  promoted  second  lieutenant  March  15,  1865 ;  mustered  out  with 
regiment. 

George   B.  Lyon,   second  lieutenant,    December  14,   1868;    resigned   November 
18,  1864. 

Darwin  L.  Weeks,  promoted  second  lieutenant  December  7,  1864;  mustered  out 
with,  regiment. 

Albert  W.  Thompson,  promoted  second  lieutenant  January  30,  1865 ;  mustered  out 
with  regiment. 

Charles  A.  Gray,  promoted  second  lieutenant  December  80,  1864,  but  not  mustered. 

Harrison  P.  Kingsley,  promoted  second  lieutenant  March  14,  1865;  mustered  out 
with  regiment. 

A.  Hallock  Holbrook,  promoted  second  lieutenant  July  31,  1864;  mustered  out 
with  regiment. 

William  Fisher,  promoted  second  lieutenant  December  7,  1864;  deserted. 

Leroy  Hoaglin,  promoted   second  lieutenant  May  18,  1864;   mustered  out  with 
regiment. 

"  Charles  W.  Howard,  promoted  second  lieutenant  December  7,  1864 ;  mustered  out 
with  regiment;  brevet  captain. 

George  E.  Hutchings,  promoted  second  lieutenant  July  31,  1864,  but  not  mustered; 
killed  in  action. 


CAPTAIN  WILLIAM  H.  MCKITTRICK. 


THE  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTEENTH  REGIMENT.  237 

W.  Scott  Whitney,  promoted  second  lieutenant  December  7,  1864 ;  mustered  out 
with  regiment. 

Charles  E.  Shaw,  second  lieutenant,  December  14,  1863;  discharged  November 
13,  1864. 

Sherman  A.  Case,  promoted  second  lieutenant  January  20,  1865;  mustered  out 
with  regiment. 

George  W.  Decker,  promoted  second  lieutenant  November  23, 1865 :  not  mustered. 

Albert  Case,  promoted  second  lieutenant  November  23,  1865 ;  not  mustered. 

Enos  Van  Voast,  promoted  second  lieutenant  November  23,  1865;  mustered  out 
with  regiment. 

Frederick  W.  Stevens,  quartermaster  sergeant;  brevet  second  lieutenant. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth  Regiment  of  Infantry  was  organ- 
ganized  at  Fonda  to  serve  three  years.  The  companies  of  which  it 
was  composed  were  raised  in  the  counties  of  Fulton,  Hamilton,  Mont- 
gomery and  Saratoga,  then  forming  the  Fifteenth  Senate  District.  It 
was  mustered  into  the  United  States  service  August  26,  1862,  and  was 
mustered  out  June  17, 1865.  Simeon  Sammons  of  Sammonsville,  Mont- 
gomery county,  went  out  as  colonel  of  the  regiment.  He  was  dis- 
charged on  account  of  disability  November  19,  1864.  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Nathan  J.  Johnson  acted  as  colonel  after  April  29,  1865,  and 
was  commissioned  colonel  on  the  day  the  regiment  left  the  service,  but 
was  not  mustered  in  as  such.  George  S.  Batcheller,  then  a  resident  of 
Batchellerville,  Saratoga  county,  was  the  first  lieutenant-colonel,  his 
commission  bearing  date  of  August  30,  1862.  He  resigned  November 
14:,  1863.  Ezra  L.  Walrath  was  commissioned  lieutenant  colonel  on 
the  day  the  regiment  left  the  service,  but  was  not  mustered  in.  Among 
others  who  served  as  officers  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth  were: 
Majors  Patrick  H.  Cowan,  Ezra  L.  Walrath  and  Egbert  B.  Savage; 
adjutants,  Thomas  R.  Horton,  Hugh  S.  Sanford  and  John  A,  Collier; 
Captain  William  H.  McKittrick,  who  was  commissioned  September  10, 
1862,  and  was  killed  in  action  at  Chapin's  Farm,  Va.,  September  29, 
1864;  Captain  Walton  W.  French,  commissioned  September  10,  1862, 
and  discharged  June  11,  1864;  Captain  Cyrus  N.  Ballon,  who  was  com- 
missioned April  6,  1865;  Alfred  G.  Noxon,  commissioned  May  18, 1863, 
and  resigned  October  25,  1863.  Henry  W.  Heaton,  John  W.  Filkins, 
Francis  D.  Barnum,  Levi  Sheffer,  Aaron  C.  Slocum,  William  J.  Jen- 
nings and  George  H.  Curreen  were  also  officers  in  this  regiment.  The 
One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth  fought  in  these  battles :  Maryland  Heights, 
Olustee,  Drewry's  Bluff,  Coal  Harbor,  Petersburg,  Deep  Bottom,  Cha- 
pin's Farm,  Darbytown  Road,  Fort  Fisher  and  Wilmington. 


238  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  Twenty- fifth  Regiment  of  Cavalry,  popularly  known  as  the 
"Sickles  Cavalry,"  was  organized  at  Saratoga  Springs  to  serve  three 
years.  The  companies  of  which  it  was  composed  were  raised  princi- 
pally in  the  counties  of  Saratoga,  New  York,  Delaware  and  Sullivan. 
It  was  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United  States  from  October, 
1863,  to  October,  1864,  and  was  mustered  out  June  27,  1865.  Gurden 
Chapin  was  the  first  colonel,  his  commission  dating  October  31,  1864, 
Aaron  Seeley  was  lieutenant  colonel.  The  regiment  had  at  various 
times  these  majors:  Samuel  W.  McPherson,  afterwards  breveted  lieu- 
tenant colonel;  Charles  J.  Seymour,  Clinton  G.  Townsley,  John  L.  V. 
Danesi  and  Charles  F.  Willard.  Samuel  W.  McPherson,  William  A. 
Brusle,  jr.,  and  Robert  M.  Cumming  each  served  as  adjutant.  The 
other  staff  officers  were:  Quartermaster,  Isaac  V.  Truss;  commissary, 
Edwin  Dunn;  surgeon,  James  D.  Jones;  assistant  surgeons,  George 
Sumner  and  Arnold  Dufloo;  chaplain,  Ethan  Ray  Clark.' 

The  Thirteenth  Regiment  of  Infantry  was  organized  at  Elmira,  was 
mustered  into  service  May  14,  1861,  and  mustered  out  May  13,  1863. 
Isaac  F.  Quimby  was  the  first  colonel.  He  was  succeeded  in  turn  by 
John  Pickell  and  Elisha  G.  Marshall.  The  Twentieth  Regiment  of  in- 
fantry was  organized  in  New  York  city,  was  mustered  into  service  May 
6,  1861,  and  mustered  out  June  1,  1863.  The  Twenty-second  Regiment 
was  organized  at  Albany,  was  mustered  in  June  6,  1861,  and  mustered 
out  June  19,  1863.  The  Twenty-fifth  Regiment  was  organized  in  New 
York  city,  was  mustered  into  service  in  June,  1861,  and  mustered  out 
July  10,  1863.  The  Forty-seventh  Regiment  was  organized  in  New 
York  city,  was  mustered  into  the  service  in  September,  1861,  and  mus- 
tered out  August  30,  1865.  The  Fifty  first  Regiment  was  organized  in 
New  York  city,  was  mustered  into  the  service  from  July  27  to  October 
23,  1861,  and  was  mustered  out  July  25,  1865.  The  Fifty-third  Regi- 
ment was  organized  in  New  York  city,  was  mustered  into  the  service 
from  August  27  to  November  15,  1861,  and  was  mustered  out  March 
31,  1862.  The  Fifty-fourth  Regiment  was  organized  in  New  York  city, 
was  mustered  into  the  service  from  September  5  to  October  16,  1861, 
and  was  mustered  out  April  14,  1866.  The  Fifty-sixth  Regiment  was 
organized  at  Newburgh,  was  mustered  into  the  service  from  July  31  to 
December  10,  1861,  and  was  mustered  out  October  17,  1865.  The 
Sixty-third  Regiment  was  organized  in  New  York  city,  was  mustered 
into  the  service  from  August  7  to  November  13,  1861,  and  was  mus- 
tered out  June  30,  1865.     The  Seventy-eighth  Regiment  was  organized 


VARIOUS  REGIMENTS.  239 

in  New  York  city,  was  mustered  into  service  from  October  1,  1861,  to 
April  12,  1863,  and  was  consolidated  with  the  One  Hundred  and  Second 
Regiment  June  29,  1864.  The  latter  regiment  was  mustered  out  July 
21,  186.5.  The  Eighty-third  Regiment  was  organized  in  New  York 
city,  was  mustered  into  the  service  from  May  to  August,  1861,  and  at 
the  expiration  of  its  term  of  service  the  veterans  and  recruits  were 
transferred  to  the  Ninety-seventh  Regiment.  The  Ninety-second 
Regiment  was  organized  at  Potsdam,  was  mustered  into  service  Janu- 
ary 1,  1862,  and  mustered  out  January  7,  1865.  The  Ninety-third 
Regiment  was  organized  at  Albany,  was  mustered  into  service  from 
October,  1861,  to  January  1862,  and  was  mustered  out  June  29,  1865. 
The  Ninety-sixth  Regiment  was  organized  at  Plattsburgh,  was  mus- 
tered into  service  from  February  20,  1862,  to  March  7,  1862,  and  was 
mustered  out  February  6,  1866.'  The  Ninety-seventh  Regiment  was 
organized  at  Boonville,  was  mustered  into  service  from  September,  1861, 
to  February,  1862,  and  was  mustered  out  July  18,  1865.  The  One 
Hundred  and  Eighteenth  Regiment  was  organized  at  Plattsburgh,  was 
mustered  into  service  August  30,  1862,  and  mustered  out  June  13,  1865. 
The  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Regiment  was  organized  at  Salem, 
Washington  county,  was  mustered  into  service  September  4,  1862,  and 
mustered  out  June  8,  1865.  The  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth  Regi- 
ment was  organized  at  Troy,  was  mustered  into  service  August  29, 
1862,  and  mustered  out  June  5,  1865.  The  One  Hundred  and  Thirty- 
fourth  Regiment  was  organized  at  Schoharie,  was  mustered  into  service 
September  22,  1862,  and  mustered  out  June  1,  1865.  The  One  Hun- 
dred and  Fifty-third  Regiment  was  organized  at  Fonda,  and  was  mus- 
tered into  service  October  18,  1862.  The  companies  of  which  it  was 
composed  .were  raised  in  the  counties  of  Saratoga,  Fulton,  Montgomery, 
-Clinton,  Essex  and  Warren.  Duncan  McMartin,  the  first  colonel,  was 
succeeded  May  26,  1863,  by  Edward  P.  David,  who  was  breveted  brig- 
adier-general. The  regiment  was  mustered  out  of  service  October  2, 
1865.  It  saw  service  in  the  battles  at  Sabine  Cross  Roads,  Pleasant 
Hill,  Marksville,  Cane  River,  Mansura  and  Alexandria,  La.  The  One 
Hundred  and  Sixty-second  Regiment  was  organized  in  New  York  city, 
was  mustered  into  service  from  August  22  to  October  18,  1862,  and 
mustered  out  October  12,  1865.  The  One  Hundred  and  Sixty  ninth 
Regiment  was  organized  at  Troy,  was  mustered  into  service  from  Sep- 
tember 25  to  October  6,  1862,  and  mustered  out  July  19,  1865. 

1  This  regiment  participated  in  thirty-one  battles. 


240  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  Sixth  Regiment  of  Cavalry  was  organized  in  New  York  city, 
was  mustered  into  service  from  September  12  to  December  19,  1861, 
and  was  consolidated  with  the  Fifteenth  New  York  Cavalry  as  the  Sec- 
ond New  York  Provisional  Cavalry  June  17,  1865.  The  Twenty-first 
Regiment  of  Cavalry  was  organized  at  Troy,  was  mustered  into  service 
from  August  to  October,  1863,  and  was  mustered  out  by  detachments. 

The  Sixteenth  Regiment  of  Heavy  Artillery  was  organized  in  the 
State  at  large,  was  mustered  into  the  service  from  September  28,  1863, 
to  January  28,  1864,  was  mustered  out  August  21,  1865.  The  Thir- 
teenth Regiment  of  Heavy  Artillery  was  organized  in  New  York  city, 
was  mustered  into  the  service  from  August,  1863,  to  September,  1864, 
and  transferred  to  the  Sixth  New  York  Artillery  June  27,  1865.  The 
First  Battery  of  Light  Artillery  was  organized  at  Auburn,  was  mustered 
into  service  November  23,  1861,  and  mustered  out  June  23,  1865.  The 
First  Regiment  Mounted  Rifles  was  organized  in  New  York  city,  was 
mustered  into  service  from  August  31,  1861,  to  September  9,  1862,  and 
was  consolidated  July  21,  1865,  with  the  Third  Regiment  New  York 
Cavalry,  as  the  Fourth  Provisional  New  York  Cavalry. 

COLONEL  EPHRAIM  ELMER   ELLSWORTH. 

The  story  of  Saratoga  county's  participation  in  the  war  of  the  Rebel- 
lion would  not  be  complete  without  more  than  a  passing  mention  of 
the  famous  Ellsworth  Zouaves,  or  the  Eleventh  New  York  Volunteer 
Infantry,  organized  in  New  York  city  in  April,  1861.  But  before 
speaking  in  detail  of  this  regiment,  which  in  itself  was  not  of  particu- 
lar interest  to  the  people  of  Saratoga  county  except  that  it  was  organ- 
ized and  commanded  by  Col.  E..E.  Ellsworth,  let  us  look  into  the  life 
of  the  young  commander. 

Ephraim  Elmer  Ellsworth  was  born  in  the  town  of  Malta  April  11, 
1837,  the  son  of  Ephraim  D.  Ellsworth.  As  a  boy  he  served  as  a  clerk 
in  a  store  at  Mechanicville.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he  went  to 
Troy  and  continued  in  mercantile  life.  But  this  was  not  a  pursuit  to 
his  liking,  and  he  journeyed  to  New  York.  Finding  competition  there 
too  great,  in  the  spring  of  1859  he  went  to  Chicago  and  began  the  study 
of  the  law  in  the  office  of  J.  E.  Cone.  While  pursuing  his  studies  he 
gained  a  wonderful  knowledge  of  the  manual  of  arms  and  became  an 
expert  fencer. 

All  this  while  he  was  suffering  the  pangs  of  poverty,  and  almost 
starvation.     Many  a  night  he  threw  himself  on  the  floor  of  Mr.  Cone's 


COLONEL  ELMER  E.  ELLSWORTH.  241 

law  ofiSce,  hunger-stricken  and  wearied  to  exhaustion.  He  had  organ- 
ized a  company  of  cadets,  and  before  long  Chicago  was  singing  the 
praises  of  the  Ellsworth  Zouaves.  So  great  did  the  degree  of  perfection 
of  these  Zouaves  attain,  that  in  the  summer  of  1860,  in  response  to 
many  requests,  Ellsworth  made  a  tour  of  the  country  at  their  head, 
scoring  an  unbroken  series  of  triumphs. 

After  this  tour  young  Ellsworth  became  one  of  the  most  talked  of 
young  men  in  the  country.  While  on  his  return  to  Chicago  from  the 
East  he  met  Abraham  Lincoln,  then  a  candidate  for  the  presidency. 
Mr.  Lincoln  offered  Ellsworth  a  place  in  his  office,  and  the  offer  was 
quickly  accepted.  After  Mr.  Lincoln  was  elected  to  the  presidency 
Ellsworth  received  at  his  hands' a  commission  as  lieutenant  in  the  army, 
and  was  detailed  for  special  duty  in  Washington.  When  the  war  be- 
gan he  was  anxious  to  enter  into  active  service  at  once.  To  do  this  he 
therefore  resigned  his  commission  as  lieutenant,  went  to  New  York 
city  and  obtained  permission  of  the  chief  of  the  metropolitan  fire  de- 
partment to  recruit  a  regiment  from  among  the  firemen.  The  request 
being  granted,  he  sent  to  Chicago  for  some  of  the  men  of  his  old  Zouave 
company,  and  they  joined  him  at  once. 

The  rapidity  with  which  this  regiment  (the  Eleventh  New  York  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  usually  called  the  New  York  Zouaves)  was  recruited 
is  shown  by  the  fact  that  Ellsworth  arrived  in  New  York  April  17,  1861, 
and  April  29  the  new  regiment  of  eleven  hundred  men  embarked  on 
the  steamer  Baltic  for  Washington.  They  were  mustered  into  service 
by  General  Irwin  McDowell  in  the  presence  of  President  Lincoln  in 
front  of  the  capitol  May  7,  the  first  regiment  mustered  in  "for  three 
years,  or  during  the  war,"  previous  enlistments  having  been  for  three 
months. 

May  24  the  Eleventh  was  transferred  to  Alexandria,  Va.  In  that 
place  Colonel  Ellsworth,  leaving  Lieut. -Col.  Noah  L.  Farnham  in  com- 
mand, accompanied  by  Sergeant  Frank  B.  Marshall  and  a  squad  of 
men  proceeded  to  the  Marshall  house  to  remove  a  rebel  flag  which 
floated  from  the  top  of  that  building.  After  sending  Sergeant  Mar- 
shall back  to  the  regiment  for  Company  A,  he  went  inside  of  the  hotel, 
posting  one  of  his  escort  at  the  door,  another  on  the  first  floor,  another 
at  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  and  Corporal  Frank  E.  Brownell,  of  Troy,  N. 
Y.,  on  the  .third  floor.  Colonel  Ellsworth  then  ascended  to  the  top  of 
the  house  to  obtain  a  view  of  the  surroundings  and  remove  the  obnox- 
ious flag.     Securing  the  latter  he  started  to  descend  the  stairs,  when 

16 


242  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

he  heard  the  report  of  a  gun.  Hastening  down,  he  came  around  a 
turn  in  the  stairs  just  in  time  to  receive  the  second  charge  from  a 
double-barelled  shotgun  in  the  hands  of  James  W.  Jackson,  the  land- 
lord of  the  Marshall  house.  The  gun  was  aimed  at  Brownell,  who  had 
knocked  the  gun  up. ' 

Hardly  had  the  shot  been  fired  when  Corporal  Brownell  leveled  his 
gun  at  the  assassin  and  fired,  killing  him  instantly.  It  was  sub- 
sequently learned  that  the  murderer  was  crazed  with  drink,  having 
been  on  a  prolonged  debauch. 

Many  criticisms  of  Ellsworth  have  been  published,  accusing  him  of 
tyranny,  vanity,  undue  pride  and  foolhardiness.  But  all  such  criti- 
cisms, it  is  now  generally  believed,  had  their  source  either  from  those 
who  had  suffered  from  a  necessary  discipline,  agreed  to  by  themselves 
and  afterwards  violated,  or  from  the  friends  of  these  men.  Not  one 
surviving  member  of  his  Zouaves,  who  remained  faithful  to  the  end, 
agrees  with  such  criticism.  On  the  other  hand,  they  accord  to  the 
heroic  Ellsworth  unparalleled  fixedness  of  purpose,  industry  and  clear- 
headedness in  all  matters  pertaining  to  military  affairs.  They  believe 
that  on  the  roll  of  great  captains,  when  the  greatest  of  all  wars  closed, 
the  name  of  Ellsworth  might  have  stood  second  to  none,  had  it  not 
been  for  his  untimely  end. 

Ephraim  D.  Ellsworth,  father  of  Col.  E.  E.  Ellsworth,  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Halfmoon,  May  22,  1809.  Previous  to  his  nineteenth  year 
he  learned  the  tailor's  trade  at  Waterford  and  afterwards  worked  at  it 
in  Troy  and  Jonesville,  this  county.  In  1836  he  married  Phebe  Den- 
ton of  Malta,  and  located  at  Mechanicville  to  carry  on  his  trade,  resid- 
ing there  the  remainder  of  his  days,  excepting  ten  years  spent  in  the 
service  of  the  government.  November  16,  1861,  President  Lincoln 
commissioned  him  captain  in  the  ordnance  department  and  he  was 
assigned  to  duty  at  Fortress  Monroe.  This  was  six  months  after  the 
assassination  of  his  son.  Captain  Ellsworth  soon  resigned  this  position 
and  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  Champlain  arsenal  at  Vergennes, 
Vt.,  where  he  remained  about  ten  years,  returning  to  his  home  at  Me- 
chanicville in  the  fall  of  1871. 

THOSE  WHO   FOUGHT. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  officers  of  the  Seventy-seventh  Reg- 
iment, New  York  Volunteers,  with  promotions,  discharges,  resigna- 
tions and  deaths,  from  November  23,  1861,  to  the  close  of  the  war: 


THOSE  WHO  FOUGHT.  243 


FIELD   AND    STAFF. 


James  B.  McKean,  colonel,  resigned  July  27,  1863. 

Joseph  C   Henderson,  lieutenant  colonel,  resigned  June  19,  1862. 

Selden  Hetzel,  major,  dismissed  by  order  of  the  secretary  of  war.  May  15,  1863. 

Lucius  ShurtlefE,  quartermaster,  resigned  June  31,  1862. 

John  L.  Perry,  surgeon,  resigned  February  1,  1863. 

Augustus  Campbell,  surgeon,  resigned  February  7,  1863. 

John  M.  Fay,  assistant  surgeon,  dismissed  March  3,  1863. 

David  TuUy,  chaplain,  resigned  July  8,  1863. 

Winsor  B.  French,  adjutant,  promoted  major  June  1,  1863;  lieutenant-colonel,  July 
18,  1863 ;  colonel,  August  25,  1863  (not  mustered  out  as  colonel,  regiment  being  re- 
duced below  minimum  number  of  men);  breveted  brigadier-general  United  States 
Volunteers  for  gallant  and  meritorious  conduct  on  the  field;  mustered  out  with  reg- 
iment. 

Nathan  S.  Babcock,  captain,  promoted  major,  August  31,  1863 ;  mustered  out  with 
regiment. 

William  H.  Fursman,  first  lieutenant  Company  K,  promoted  adjutant,  May  3, 
1863;  resigned  February  13,  1864. 

Lawrence  Van  Demark,  second  lieutenant  Company  C,  promoted  first  lieutenant, 
and  adjutant,  February  13,  1864;  resigned  September  30,  1864. 

William  W.  Worden,  sergeant  Company  C,  promoted  second  lieutenant,  Novem- 
ber 33,  1863;  adjutant,  October  34,  1864;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Thomas  M.  White,  private  Company  C,  promoted  commissary  sergeant,  Feb- 
ruary 37,  1863;  second  lieutenant,  February  10,  1865;  first  lieutenant  and  adjutant, 
March,  1865 ;  mustered  out  with  battalion ;  breveted  major  for  services  rendered  in 
battle  April  3,  1865. 

Jacob  F.  Hayward,  first  lieutenant  Company  I,  promoted  quartermaster,  June  21, 
1862 ;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

George  T.  Stevens,  assistant  surgeon,  promoted  surgeon,  February  27,  1863;  mus- 
tered out  with  regiment. 

Justin  G.  Thompson,  assistant  surgeon,  November  17,  1863 ;  transferred  and  mus- 
tered out  with  battalion. 

Norman  Fox,  jr.,  chaplain,  appointed  from  civil  life,  December  10, 1863;  mustered 
out  with  regiment. 

Job  S.  Safford,  promoted  from  sergeant  Company  F,  to  sergeant-major. 

Seymour  Burch,  sergeant-major,  discharged  February  1,  1863. 

Wendell  Lansing,  commissary-sergeant,  discharged. 

Aaron  B.  Quivey,  private  Company  C,  promoted  commissary-sergeant,  June  5, 
1862;  discharged  March  1,  1863;  re  enlisted  and  killed  on  picket,  May  18, 1864. 

Luther  F.  Irish,  principal  musician,  discharged. 

Isaac  D.  Clapp,  corporal  Company  C,  promoted  sergeant-major,  May  15,  1863;  ad- 
jutant, June  1,  1863;  captain,  June  6,  1863;  major  (but  not  mustered),  June  13,  1864; 
mustered  out  with  regiment. 

William  A.  De  Long,  assistant-surgeon,  appointed  from  civil  life,  March  3,  1868 ; 
mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Charles  D.  Thurber,  private  Company  D,  promoted  quartermaster-sergeant;  sec- 
ond lieutenant  Company  E ;  quartermaster ;  mustered  out  with  battalion. 


244  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Andrew  Van  Wie,  private  Company  C,  promoted  principal  musician,  July  1,  1864. 

Alexander  P.  Waldron,  private  Company  D,  promoted  hospital  steward,  Septem- 
ber 8,  1863. 

Sidney  O.  Cromack,  sergeant  Company  B,  promoted  sergeant-major,  May  3,  1863 ; 
first  lieutenant,  June  5,  1863;  discharged  March  11,  1865. 

George  H.  Gillis,  sergeant  Company  C,  promoted  sergeant-major,  November  17, 
1862;  second  lieutenant,  February  25,  1863;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Edward  S.  Armstrong,  corporal  Company  C,  promoted  quartermaster-sergeant, 
January  1,  1862;  first  lieutenant  Company  B,  May  19,  1863;  discharged  January  14, 
1863. 

Thomas  S.  Fowler,  private  Company  D,  promoted  quartermaster-sergeant,  April 
3,  1862 ;  second  lieutenant,  October  2,  1863 ;  discharged  on  account  of  wounds  Au- 
gust 12,  1864. 

Gilbert  F.  Thomas,  corporal  Company  C,  promoted  second  lieutenant,  May  1, 
1863;  killed  in  action  at  Cedar  Creek,  October  19,  1864. 

Charles  H.  Davis,  sergeant  Company  D,  promoted  adjutant  of  battalion,  February 
18,  1865 ;  captain,  April  22,  1865 ;  mustered  out  with  battalion. 

Obed  M.  Coleman,  private  Company  C,  promoted  quartermaster-sergeant. 

Edward  H.  Thorn,  private  Company  C,  promoted  commissary-sergeant. 

David  J.  Caw,  private  Company  H.,  promoted  second  lieutenant,  May  21,  1863; 
first  lieutenant,  September  23,  1862;  captain,  December  10,  1862;  major,  December 
30,  1864 ;  lieutenant-colonel,  December  24,  1864 ;  colonel  (but  not  mustered)  July  6, 
1865 ;  mustered  out  with  battalion. 

LINE  OFFICERS. 

Company  A. — Captain  Read  W.  Arnold,  resigned  April  3, 1863.  First  Lieutenant 
William  Douglass,  resigned  April  21,  1863.  First  Lieutenant  Stephen  S.  Hastings, 
resigned  December  33,  1863.  Second  Lieutenant  James  Hj.  Farnsworth,  resigned 
February  8,  1862.  Captain  George  S.  Orr,  promoted  from  lieutenant  April  3,  1863 ; 
lost  right  arm  at  Cedar  Creek ;  mustered  out  with  regiment.  Captain  Charles  E. 
Stevens,  promoted  from  ranks  to  second  lieutenant  March  31,  1863;  first  lieutenant, 
January  38,  1863;  captain,  September  16,  1864;  commissioned  colonel  (but  not  mus- 
tered) ;  mustered  out  with  battalion.  Second  Lieutenant  Lewis  T.  Vanderwarker, 
promoted  from  private  January  37,  1863 ;  first  lieutenant,  November  10,  1863 ;  mus- 
tered out  with  regiment.  Second  Lieutenant  Sorell  Fountain,  promoted  from  pri- 
vate April  33,  1865 ;  mustered  out  with  regiment.  First  Lieutenant  Adam  Flans- 
burgh,  promoted  in  battalion. 

Company  B. — Captain  C.  C.  Hill,  resigned  July  1,  1863.  Captain  Stephen  S.  Hor- 
ton,  promoted  from  second  lieutenant  to  captain  July  35,  1863;  discharged  May  31, 
1863,  on  account  of  wounds  received  at  Antietam.  Captain  Frederick  Smith,  dis- 
missed. First  Lieutenant  Noble  P.  Hammond,  resigned  July  34,  1862.  Second 
Lieutenant  G.  R.  McGunnigle,  dismissed.  Second  Lieutenant  Sidney  O.  Cromack. 
(See  Staff.)  Second  Lieutenant  William  H.  Quackenbush,  promoted  February  16, 
1865 ;  mustered  out  with  battalion. 

Company  C— Captain  Benjamin  F.  Judson,  resigned  March  29,  1863.  Captain 
Luther  M,  Wheeler,  fitst  lieutenant,  promoted  captain  March  39,  1863 ;  killed  in  ac- 


THOSE  WHO  FOUGHT.  245 

tion  at  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  May  3,  1863.  First  Lieutenant  John  Patterson,  resigned 
September  8,  1863.  Captain  E.  W.  Winne,  first  sergeant,  promoted  Second  lieuten- 
ant March  39,  1863;  first  lieutenant,  September  8,  1863;  captain  Company  F,  May  9, 
1863 ;  discharged  September  9,  1864.  Second  Lieutenant  Gilbert  F.  Thomas.  (See 
Staff.)  Second  Lieutenant  Stephen  H.  Pierce,  transferred  to  battalion ;  promoted 
first  lieutenant  March  15,  1864;  killed  in  action  March  35,  1865.  Second  Lieutenant 
David  Pangburn,  promoted  from  sergeant. 

Company  D. — Captain  John  Caw,  resigned  at  White  House,  Va.,  May  18,  1863,  on 
account  of  disability  and  died  before  reaching  home.  Captain  Seth  W.  Deyoe,  pro- 
moted from  first  sergeant  to  first  lieutenant  November  38,  1861 ;  captain,  September 
8,  1862;  discharged  on  account  of  wounds  received  in  action,  July  36,  1864.  Second 
Lieutenant  Chester  H.  Fodow,  resigned  May  31,  1863.  Second  Lieutenant  Robert 
H.  Skinner,  promoted  June  4, 1863;  discharged  on  account  of  wounds  received  in  ac- 
tion, March  13,  1868.  First  Lieutenant  Joseph  H.  Loveland,  promoted  captain,  No- 
vember 3,  1868 ;  mustered  out  with  regiment.  Captain  Sumner  Oakley,  sergeant, 
promoted  first  lieutenant  September  6,  1864;  transferred  to  battalion  January  30, 
1865;  killed  in  action,  March  35,  1865.  Second  Lieutenant  Robert  E.  Nelson,  ser- 
geant, promoted  second  lieutenant.  May  25,  1864;  first  lieutenant  August  20,  1864; 
transferred  to  and  mustered  out  with  battalion. 

Company  E. — Captain  Lewis  Wood,  discharged  on  account  of  disability,  October  4, 

1863.  Captain  William  B.  Carpenter,  first  lieutenant,  promoted  captain  December 
35,  1863;  killed  in  action  May  10,  1864.  Second  Lieutenant  Halsey  Bo  we,  accident- 
ally shot  in  camp  at  Harrison's  Landing,  Va.,  and  died  of  the  wound  in  Philadelphia 
August  16,  1863.  First  Lieutenant  Henry  C.  Rowland,  promoted  from  sergeant 
January  33,  1863 ;  mustered  out  with  regiment.  Second  Lieutenant  William  F.  Lyon, 
promoted  March  17,  1863;  missing;  believed  to  have  been  killed  in  action  May  10, 

1864.  Second  Lieutenant  Charles  D.  Thurber.  (See  Staff.)  Second  Lieutenant 
Thomas  M.  White.  (See  Staff.)  First  Lieutenant  James  A.  Monroe,  promoted 
from  first  sergeant  November  15,  1864;  mustered  out  with  battalion. 

Company  F. — Captain  Judson  B.  Andrews,  resigned  July  16,  1862.  Captain  Jesse 
White,  promoted  from  first  lieutenant,  September  33,  1863,  discharged  for  disability, 
February,  1863.  Second  Lieutenant  Emmett  J.  Patterson,  resigned  December  18, 
1863.  Second  Lieutenant  Thomas  S.  Fowler.  (See  Staff.)  Second  Lieutenant  John 
J.  Cameron,  died  on  the  Peninsula  May  6,  1862. 

Company  G. — Captain  Calvin  A.  Rice,  dismissed  by  order  of  secretary  of  war, 
October  4,  1862.  First  Lieutenant  Edward  S.  Armstrong.  (See  Staff.)  Second 
Lieutenant  William  K.  Young,  resigned  April  15,  1863.  Captain  George  Ross,  ser- 
geant, promoted  second  lieutenant,  January  23.  1863 ;  first  lieutenant,  March  17,  1863 ; 
captain,  December  28,  1865 ;  mustered  out  with  battalion.  Second  Lieutenant  George 
H.  Gillis.  (See  Staff.)  Captain  Orin  P.  Rilgg,  sergeant,  promoted  second  lieuten- 
ant, April  28,  1863;  captain,  December  10,  1863;  killed  in  action  May  13,  1864. 

Company  H, — Captain  Alfred  H.  Beach,  resigned  January  28,  1862,  on  account  of 
physical  disability.  Captain  N.  HoUister  Brown,  promoted  from  first  lieutenant, 
January  30,  1863;  resigned  December  36,  1862.  First  Lieutenrnt  George  D.  Story, 
promoted  from  second  lieutenant  January  30,  1862 ;  resigned  May  31,  1862.  First 
Lieutenant  Frank  Thomas,  promoted  second  lieutentant  from  first  sergeant.  Com- 
pany C,  January  23,  1863;  first  lieutenant,  March  13,  1863;  discharged  August  10, 


346  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

1864,  on  account  of  wounds  received  in  action  May  10,  1864.  Captain  David  J.  Caw. 
(See  Field.)  First  Lieutenant  Alonzo  Rowland,  appointed  second  lieutenant  from 
civil  life,  August  10,  1863 ;  promoted  first  lieutenant,  November  15,  1864;  mustered 
out  with  battalion.  Second  Lieutenant  William  Caw,  promoted  from  sergeant, 
January  20,  1865 ;  mustered  out  with  battalion. 

Company  /.—Captain  Franklin  Norton,  resigned  in  August.  1863,  and  appointed 
lieutenant-colonel,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  New  York  Volunteers.  Second 
Lieutenant  Carlos  Rowe,  promoted  sergeant,  June  1,  1863;  second  lieutenant.  May  1, 
1863;  mustered  out  with  regiment.  First  Lieutenant  Jacob  F.  Hayward.  (See  Stafif.) 
First  Lieutenant  William  E.  Merrill,  promoted  second  lieutenant,  November  15,  1864 ; 
first  lieutenant,  April  23,  1865;  mustered  out  with  battalion.  Captain  Martin 
Lennon,  promoted  from  second  lieutenant,  December  10,  1862;  died  November  1, 
1864,  from  wounds  received  at  Cedar  Creek  October  19,  1864.  First  Lieutenant 
John  W.  Belding,  promoted  first  lieutenant,  March  19,  1863;  killed  at  Cedar  Creek 
October  19, 1864. 

Company  K. — Captain  Nathan  S.  Babcock.  (See  Field.)  First  Lieutenant  Ansil 
Dennison,  sergeant,  promoted  second  lieutenant,  February  6,  1863;  first  lieutenant, 
March  11, 1863;  died  February  28,  1863,  from  wounds  received  in  action  at  Antietam. 
First  Lieutenant  William  Fursman.  (See  Staff. )  Captain  John  R.  Rockwell,  dis- 
charged for  disability  October  2,  1863.  First  Lieutenant  John  W.  McGregor,  dis- 
charged February  10,  1862.  First  Lieutenant  Philander  A.  Cobb,  discharged  May 
11,  1863.  Second  Lieutenant  Cyrus  F.  Rich,  resigned  on  account  of  physical  dis- 
ability November  30,  1862.  Second  Lieutenant  Stephen  Redshaw,  dismissed  Octo- 
ber 31,  1863.  First  Lieutenant  William  J.  Tabor,  promoted  from  sergeant.  May  3, 
1863;  killed  in  action  at  Cedar  Creek,  October  19,  1864,  Second  Lieutenant  Jeremiah 
Stebbins,  promoted  from  sergeant.  May  9,  1863 ;  mustered  out  with  battalion. 

The  following  are  the  names  of 'the  officers  of  the  Thirtieth  Regi- 
ment, New  York  Volunteers,  with  promotions,  discharges,  resignations 
and  deaths: 

Edward  Frisby,  colonel,  killed  at  battle  of  Bull  Run,  August  30,  1862. 

William  M.  Searing,  major,  promoted  lieutenant-colonel  March  32,  1863;  colonel 
September  20,  1862 ;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Charles  E.  Brintnall,  captain,  promoted  lieutenant- colonel  May  31,  1861;  resigned 
March  11,  1862. 

Morgan  H.  Chrysler,  captain,  promoted  major  March,  11,  1862 ;  lieutenant-colonel 
September  20,  1862 ;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Albert  J.  Perry,  captain,  promoted  major  October  29,  1862;  mustered  out  with 
regiment;  brevet  lieutenant-colonel. 

Richard  C.  Bentley,  adjutant,  promoted  major  Sixty-third  Regiment  February 
16,  1863. 

Alonzo  Alden,  second  lieutenant,  promoted  adjutant  June  10,  1863. 

Miles  T.  Bliven,  captain,  dismissed  December  31, 1861 ;  commissioned  adjutant  Octo- 
ber 37,  1863;  resigned  January  17,  1863. 

Zebulon  M.  Knight,  adjutant,  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Charles  E.  Russ,  quartermaster,  promoted  to  captain  and  acting  quartermaster 
August  5,  1863. 


THOSE  WHO  FOUGHT.  247 

Stephen  W.  Trull,  quartermaster,  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Francis  L.  R.  Chapin,  surgeon,  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Julius  A.  Skilton,  assistant  surgeon,  promoted  surgeon  Eighty-seventh  Regiment 
January  17,  1863. 

Fowler  Prentice,  assistant  surgeon,  promoted  surgeon  Seventy-third  Regiment 
March  39,  1863. 

R.  M.  Deering,  assistant  surgeon,  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Horace  T.  Hawks,  assistant  surgeon,  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Nathan  G.  Axtell,  chaplain,  resigned  October  8,  1863. 

Samuel  King,  captain,  died  September  1,  1863. 

John  H.  Campbell,  first  lieutenant,  promoted  captain  October  39,  1863;  mustered 
out  with  regiment. 

Warren  L.  Lansing,  captain,  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

J.  Seymour  Scott,  second  lieutenant,  promoted  first  lieutenant  November  1,  1861 ; 
captain  January  27,  1863;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Barent  M.  Van  Voast,  captain,  dismissed  March  7,  1863. 

Mause  V.  V.  Smith,  first  lieutenant,  promoted  captain  May  13,  1863;  resigned. 

Samuel  D.  Potts,  first  lieutenant,  promoted  to  captain  February  19,  1863;  mus- 
tered out  with  regiment. 

Edgar  S.  Jennings,  first  lieutenant,  promoted  to  captain  January  37,  1863 ;  dis- 
missed April  4,  1863. 

Harrison  HoUiday,  captain,  died  September  17, 1863,  of  wounds  received  in  action. 

Joseph  Williams,  first  lieutenant,  promoted  captain  October  17,  1863;  mustered 
out  with  regiment. 

Robert  B.  Everett,  captain,  transferred  to  Seventy-sixth  Regiment  May  25,  1868. 

Asa  L.  Gurney,  second  lieutenant,  promoted  first  lieutenant  December  12,  1861 ; 
captain  April  9,  1862 ;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

John  Van  Rensselaer,  captain,  not  mustered. 

Walter  P.  Tillman,  captain,  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

John  M.  Landon,  captain,  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Bartholomew  Pruyn,  captain,  discharged  October  3,  1863. 

Adam  Lampman,  second  lieutenant,  promoted  first  lieutenant  January  27,  1863; 
captain  February  19,  1863;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

William  Shelley,  first  lieutenant,  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Philip  Casey,  first  lieutenant,  died  October  4,  1861,  at  Upton  Hill,  Va. 

Harrison  Holt,  second  lieutenant,  promoted  first  lieutenant,  February  19,  1868; 
discharged  March  18,  1863. 

Bernard  Gilligan,  second  lieutenant,  promoted  first  lieutenant.  May  9,  1863 ;  mus- 
tered out  with  regiment. 

Edward  Van  Voast,  second  lieutenant,  promoted  first  lieutenant.  May  18,  1863; 
Clustered  out  with  regiment. 

Mervin  G.  Putnam,  first  lieutenant,  resigned  January  13,  1863. 

John  H.  Marston,  second  lieutenant,  promoted  first  lieutenant,  January  37,  1863, 
but  not  mustered  as  such. 

James  M.  Andrews,  jr.,  second  lieutenant,  promoted  first  lieutenant,  March  13, 
1863 ;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 


248  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Alfred  Sherman,  second  lieutenant,  promoted  first  lieutenant,  October  37,  1863; 
dismissed  March  5,  1863. 

Theodore  Buckman,  second  lieutenant,  promoted  first  lieutenant.  May  9,  1863; 
mustered  out  with  regiment. 
Andrew  M.  Franklin,  first  lieutenant,  discharged  September  11,  1863. 

Philip  Keller,  first  lieutenant,  transferred  to  Seventy-sixth  Regiment,  May  25, 
1863. 

William  T.  Conkling,  first  lieutenant,  died  November  28,  1861,  at  Washington, 
D.  C. 

Walter  Cutting,  second  lieutenant,  promoted  first  lieutenant,  April  9,  1863;  captain 
and  aid-de-camp,  July  13,  1863. 

Thomas  Smith,  first  lieutenant,  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Lemuel  B.  Ball,  first  lieutenant,  resigned  October  11,  1861. 

Sylvester  W.   Barnes,  second  lieittenant,  promoted  first  lieutenant,   October  39, 
1861 ;  dismissed  September  18,  1863. 

Robert  W.  Cross,  second  lieutenant,  promoted  first  lieutenant,  October  37,  1863 ; 
dismissed  December  13,  1863. 

Thomas  Hall,  first  lieutenant,  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Charles  Roth,  second  lieutenant,  promoted  first  lieutenant,  March  4,  1863;  mus- 
tered out  with  regiment;  brevet  major. 

Gilbert  W.  Becker,  first  lieutenant,  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Francis  Dargen,  second  lieutenant,  killed  August  30,  1863,  at  Bull  Run,  Va. 

William  D.  Jones,  second  lieutenant,  not  mustered. 
.  Andrew  Smith,  second  lieutenant,  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

William  L.  Peck,  second  lieutenant,  not  mustered. 

Alexander  Gillespie,  second  lieutenant,  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

George  H.  Overocker,  second  lieutenant,  resigned  December  30,  1863. 

Herbert  H.  Bryans,  second  lieutenant,  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Nathaniel  Palmer,  second  lieutenant,  cashiered  January  30,  1863. 

William   Buchanan,   second  lieutenant,   transferred  to  Seventy-sixth  Regiment, 
May  34,  1863. 

Robert  G.  Noxon,  second  lieutenant,  transferred  to  Seventy-sixth  Regiment,  May 
25,  1863. 

John  W.  Gafney,  second  lieutenant,  not  mustered. 

Philip  Rice,  second  lieutenant,  killed  in  action,  August  39,  1863. 

William  S.  Haight,  second  lieutenant,  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Henry  Osborn,  second  lieutenant,  resigned  December  30,  1863. 

David  Burnham,  second  lieutenant,  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

William  Morse,  second  lieutenant,  killed  in  action  at  Bull  Run,  August  30,  1862. 

Michael  Long,  second  lieutenant,  transferred  to  Seventy-sixth  Regiment,  May  35, 
1863. 

George  Trainor,  second  lieutenant,  not  mustered. 

It  is  a  matter  of  great  and  everlasting  regret  that  the  officials  of 
many  of  the  towns  in  Saratoga  county  did  not  keep  an  accurate  list  of 
the  names  of  the  brave  men  who  went  to  the  front  for  the  defense  of 


THOSE  WHO  FOUGHT. 


249 


the  Union  between  the  years  of  1861  and  1865,  In  1875  the  State  en- 
acted a  law  directing  the  compilation  of  a  record  of  the  soldiers  in  that 
war,  by  every  town  and  city  in  the  State ;  but  some  towns  either  neg- 
lected to  write  such  a  record  or  since  that  time  their  officers  have  lost 
it.  The  following  list  of  names  is  the  most  accurate  obtainable.'  The 
names  are  given  under  the  headings  of  the  township  in  which  they  re- 
sided at  the  time  of  enlistment.  Those  whose  names  are  marked  with 
asterisks  died  in  the  service : 


Francis  I.  Allen, 
James  H.  Adams, 
James  A.  Andrews, 
William  H.  Austin, 
Reuben  Alden,* 
John  Adams,  jr., 
Reuben  Alden,  3d, 
James  M.  Andrews,  2d, 
Henry  Adams, 
James  W.  Austin, 
R.  Alden, 
John  Adkins, 
William  Adkins, 
James  F.  Austin, 
Sylvester  Andrews, 
John  Abbott, 
William  Beardsley, 
John  Betts, 
Julius  P.  Bennett, 
Pennis  S.  Barringer, 
Charles  H.  Benedict, 
John  H.  Briggs,* 
Clarence  Bruce, 
Mansfield  Bruce, 
Halsey  Bowe,* 
George  BuUard, 
William  H.  Brown, 
John  W.  Belding,* 
Jeremiah  Baker. 
Herbert  H.  Bryant, 
Lewis  Brassel, 
Lester  D.  Bardwell, 


Saratoga  Springs. 

Peter  Bell, 
George  Bourne,* 
Samuel  Burpee, 
Norman  Bennett, 
Frederick  Bennett, 
Royal  B.  Brown, 
James  Burke, 
John  Berigin, 
William  G.  Bryant, 
Cassius  M.  Busbee, 
Richard  A.  Betts, 
John  A.  Brown, 
George  W.  Brisbin, 
Rollin  D.  Baker, 
Luther  Bingham, 
Louis  L  Bruso, 
William  H.  Brown,  2d, 
Alfred  M.  Baldwin,* 
Ambrose  Blodgett, 
Spencer  L  Blanchard, 
John  M.  Bennett, 
Charles  Bacon, 
Lewis  H.  Balch, 
Charles  Blanchard, 
Elon  BuUard, 
Charles  K.  Burnham,* 
Erskine  B.  Branch, 
George  Bellamy, 
John  Boyd, 
Timothy  Brophy, 
Charles  G.  Bemens, 
George  Brooks, 


Schuyler  Boyce, 
Amasa  Bartlett, 
William  H.  Blackwood, 
George  N.  Blackwood, 
Arthur  L.  Burns, 
Norman  Barnum, 
Edgar  A.  Burt, 
Dennis  G.  Bushnell, 
John  Ballard, 
L.  D.  Bardwell, 
Samuel  B.  Burk, 
Richard  A.  Betts, 
John  Beach, 
Smith  Brill, 
Miles  T.  Bliven, 
John  Brainard, 
William  Beagle, 
Richard  Brewer, 
Silas  B.  Blowers, 
Duncan  Cameron, 
Lewis  E.  Close,* 
Enos  Crandall, 
Michael  Costello, 
Paul  Crandall, 
John  Collins, 
Edward  Curry, 
Thomas  Costello, 
Wilbur  M.  Clark, 
Selden  Colebridge, 
Patrick  Colophy, 
Hiram  E.  Collins, 
Joljn  Croate, 


'  We  are  indebted  to  Sylvester's  History  of  Saratoga  County  tar  these  names  of  residents  of 
Saratoga  county  who  participated  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  The  author  advertised  the  list 
tor  correction  in  each  town,  and  it  undoubtedly  is  as  nearly  correct  as  will  ever  be  obtainable. 


350 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Thomas  Casey, 
Henry  B.  Clute, 
John  G.  Casey, 
John  H.  Cozzens, 
William.  Carlow, 
Augustus  Cook, 
Isaac  D.  Clapp, 
James  E.  Couch, 
James  Church, 
Simon  Cary, 
Albert  Close, 
Charles  Cook, 
John  J.  Cameron,* 
Isaac  L  Crook, 
Piatt  Clute, 
Richard  C.  Cary, 
James  M.Cole,  jr.', 
William  R.  Chase, 
George  W.  Carragan,* 
Henry  Clayton, 
Daniel  Casey,* 
Timothy  Conners, 
Timothy  Cady, 
William  Cheeney, 
Theron  Conklin, 
Thomas  Cochrane, 
James  Connelly, 
Thomas  Clark, 
Michael  Casey, 
George  R.  Chase, 
Selden  C.  Clabridge  (?), 
Patrick  Curran, 
James  Curran, 
John  W.  Case, 
Richard  Clary, 
Obed  M.  Coleman, 
William  Cole, 
Benjamin  Crandell, 
William  Conklin, 
Thomas  Cahill, 
Michael  Clerman, 
George  M.  Close,* 
James  L.  De  Graff, 
Ruloff  H.  Deyoe, 
John  N.  Delo'ff, 
Jacob  A.  Deyoe, 
William  Dutcher, 


William  Dingham, 
Elijah  Dean,  jr., 
Charles  Davis, 
John  H.  Derby, 
John  B.  Darrow,* 
Alexander  Dunn, 
Darius  L.  Davis, 
Henry  C.  Darrovr,* 
Andrew  J.  Dowen,* 
John  H.  Dowen, 
William  Dowen,  jr., 
Barnett  Dowen, 
John  D.  Dowen, 
Josiah  Dowen, 
Seth  Duel, 

George  W.  Dingman, 
William  D.  Doolittle, 
William  Doe,* 
William  H.  Deyoe,* 
Chester  Dowd,* 
Michael  Danby, 
George  Derby,  jr. , 
Edwin  Delong, 
Beecher  Deming, 
Horace  Deming, 
John  M.  Dubois, 
Charles  B.  Deland, 
John  Deyoe, 
William  Devine,* 
John  Dumphy, 
John  Digraan,* 
Thomas  Dunnigan,* 
Jacob  A.  Deyoe, 
Patrick  Dolan, 
Tlfomas  Delany, 
James  Deneffe,* 
John  Donahue, 
Peter  Davis, 
Samuel  E.  Davis, 
Charles  W.  Derby, 
George  Deuel, 
Eh  Dietz, 

William  H.  Dwyer, 
John  E.  L.  Deuel, 
James  Evans, 
Harry  W.  Eggleston, 
Theodore  Eggleston, 


George  Elliott, 
Jarvis  Emigh, 
Oliver  Evans, 
Charles  Esmond, 
Clarence  E.  Elems, 
Charles  Elems, 
James  Eames, 
Gilbert  Edmonds, 
Sampson  Ellis, 
Austin  Elmer, 
Andrew  J.  Freeman, 
John  W.  Freeman, 
George  S.  Freeman, 
Charles  Fitzgerald, 
William  Flood,* 
Lawrence  Funk, 
Clinton  B.  Fay, 
Thomas  S.   Fowler, 
John  W.  Fay, 
Lucas  A.  Folmsbee, 
John  Flaherty, 
William  Foley, 
Andrew  M.  Franklin, 
Henry  D.  Forbush, 
Charles  Fryer, 
Michael  Fitzgibbons, 
William  Foyle,* 
Edward  H.  Fuller, 
Leonard  Fletcher, 
Winsor  B.  French, 
Horatio  N.  Finch, 
Francis  W.  Fletcher,* 
George  Farrar, 
Jacob  A.  Garey, 
James  Gailor, 
Joel  G.  Gailor, 
Clarence  F.  Goodspeed, 
Stephen  H.  Guest, 
Henry  G.  Gurney, 
Henry  Gilbert, 
Smith  J.  Gurney, 
Frank  Gilbert, 
David  H.  Graves, 
Elijah  H.  Garner, 
John  A.  Gilbert, 
George  H.  Gillis, 
George  Gick, 


THOSE  WHO  FOUGHT. 


251 


Truman  I.  Gilbert, 
John  A.  Gazeley, 
Lorenzo  Gregory, 
Charles  H.  Goss, 
James  Goss, 
Samuel  Gilbert,* 
James  Green,* 
Horace  B.  Gilbert, 
James  Garry,  jr., 
Lodwick  S.  Green, 
Thomas  Greenleaf, 
J.  T.  Goodspeed,* 
Joseph  W.  Height, 
Benjamin  B.  Hyde, 
Elisha  Hewitt, 
Dennis  Heenan, 
George  Hagadorn, 
John  H.  Houghton, 
Harman  Hagadorn, 
John  Hardy, 
Griffin  Haight, 
Jerome  Hudson, 
John  W.  Ham,* 
Edwin  Ham, 
Smith  Herrick,* 
Benjamin  A.  Harrington, 
Richard  Hutchings, 
Elias  Hunter, 
Charles  H.  Hodges, 
Francis  W.  Horton, 
William  Hall, 
James  R.  Hinds, 
James  Hendrick,* 
Delos  Hammond, 
Warren  C.  Hall, 
Myron  B.  Hall, 
Henry  Haas,* 
William  H.  Hall, 
Jefferson  J.  Hyde, 
Charles  N.  Hall, 
James  G.  Hall, 
Charles  Hudson, 
William  H.  Hoffman, 
William  J.  Hammond, 
Thomas  Hoey, 
James  R.  Hinds, 
Alexander  Hays, 


William  Hoffman,* 
Aaron  Hase,* 
Jonathan  Hopkins, 
Horace  Hamell, 
John  Hall  3d, 
Henry  Hunt, 
Harmon  Holt, 
William  Hays, 
John  H.  Hudson, 
Hiram  Hendrick, 
Henry  Hagadorn, 
Alden  S.  Huling, 
Edward  M.  Holcomb, 
John  Handley, 
James  H.  Huested, 
Joel  Hays, 
James  H.  Hudson, 
Christopher  C.  Hill, 
Edmund  J.  Huling, 
Ferdinand  Height, 
Charles  W.  Hemingway, 
George  Ingersoll, 
George  W.  Ingersoll, 
James  B.  Johnson, 
Frederick  U.  Jordan, 
Horace  L.  Jordan, 
David  E.  Johnson, 
Jeptha  Johnson,  jr., 
Enoch  I.  Johnson,  - 
Henry  Johnson, 
Frank  H.  Juncket, 
Benjamin  F.  Judson, 
Michael  Jennings, 
Harvey  Jones, 
John  G.  Kitchner, 
Peter  Knickerbocker,* 
William  Kimpton,* 
William  Kelly, 
Thomas  Kelly, 
John  Kelly, 
Horace  Kelly, 
Morris  Kelly, 
Robert  Keith, 
Daniel  W.  Kendall, 
John  Kennedy, 
Charles  Ketchum,* 
Peter  Kemp, 


Martin  Lowery,* 
David  W.  Langdon, 
George  Lawrence, 
Peter  Lyons, 
Martin  De  Lacture, 
Joseph  Larose, 
James  A.  Lee, 
Alexander  Lee, 
George  B.  Lyons, 
Luther  M.  Loper, 
Francis  Leroy, 
Edward  Lorance, 
Oscar  F.  Lockwood, 
George  Laney, 
John  Layan, 
John  La  Clare, 
Joseph  H.  Loveland, 
Edwin  Lawrence, 
James  M.  Lowery,* 
Timothy  Lowery,* 
Francis  Le  Clerk,* 
James  H.  Leggett,* 
Franklin  E.  Lawrence,* 
John  Lowery, 
William  A.  Langdon, 
Frank  Loveland, 
Andrew  M.  Lee, 
David  McNeil,* 
John  G.  Michaels, 
Herman  McPherson, 
Andrew  Mcllwain, 
Florence  McCarty, 
Nicholas  D.  Maffitt, 
Levi  Mcintosh, 
John  J.  Monroe, 
William  H.  Monroe, 
Ira  McNeil, 
George  B.  Mingay, 
Warren  E.  Miller, 
Allen  Mcl^ean, 
William  H.  McClean, 
John  D.  McDonald, 
John  Miller, 
James  McDonaldson, 
Edward  Marsham, 
Patrick  McDonald, 
William  McGovern, 


253 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


William  McDade,* 
Michael  McDade,* 
William  McCall, 
James  B.  McKean, 
James  Minnick, 
Peter  Murphy, 
Charles  Myers, 
Justus  J.  May, 
Riley  Miller, 
Allen  McLain, 
George  Moore, 
Edward  McNary, 
Peter  McCue, 
George  H.  Miller, 
Hiram  Myers, 
Isaac  Myers, 
Lafayette  Myers, 
Alexander  Martin, 
William  L.  Monroe, 
Charles  C.  Morehouse, 
Adreal  Moore, 
William  Marshall, 
William  Morrison, 
George  H.  Morris, 
James  Mingay, 
Thomas  Mathew,  jr., 
Michael  McCormick, 
Moses  Milliman, 
Erastus  Mitchell, 
John  W.  Murray, 
John  C.  Marston, 
Joseph  Muirer,* 
George  McGovern, 
Tunis  Nesbitt, 
Austin  Nash, 
Martin  V.  Norton,* 
Charles  Nevins, 
Martin  Nash,* 
Thomas  Ostrander, 
John  Obein, 
John  Oheren, 
Frederick  N.  Owen, 
Samuel  Osburn, 
Thomas  Putnam, 
John  R.  Peace, 
Abram  Price, 
George  H.  Putnam, 


George  H.  Potts, 
Charles  Phelps, 
George  Pitkin, 
Nathan  G.  Phelps, 
Henry  F.  Putnam, 
Edward  S.  Pearsall, 
John  Patterson, 
Emmett  J.  Patterson, 
Stephen  H.  Pierce,* 
George  E.  Pulling, 
John  L.  Perry, 
James  Plunkett,* 

Hugh  J.  Patterson, 

William  Poucher, 

Mervin  G.  Putnam, 

Albert  J.  Perry, 

Hiram  Augustus  Peck, 

William  C.  Putnam, 

William  Putnam, 

John  M.  Putnam, 

Jerome  Purdy, 

George  F.  Peruvielle, 

Robert  S.  Prior, 

Horatio  G.  Peck, 

Albert  I.  Quimby, 

Simeon  D.  Russell,* 

George  R.  Reno, 

John  Redmond, 

John  Rose, 

Gilbert  N.  Rose,* 

Sherman  Raymond, 

John  Reed, 

Simeon  W.  Rowley,* 

Gideon  M.  Rowley,* 

Henry  C.  Rowland, 

Orrin  R.  Rugg,* 

Charles  O.  Richardson, 

Alexander  Rouch, 

James  Ryan, 

James  Reagan, 

Joseph  H.  Rogers, 

Edwin  Rasell, 

Lester  Rose, 

Solomon  W.  Russell, 

Charles  N.  Reno, 

Cornelius  Rose, 

Hiram  Root, 


Louis  Sicard,* 
Josiah  Stiratton, 
Franklin  Spicer, 
Frank  Snow, 
Thomas  B.  Smith, 
Frederick  Suntler, 
Henry  St.  Clair, 
James  M.  Steenburgh, 
Elisha  A.  Steen, 
William  O.  Sullivan, 
Abram  B.  Smith, 
William  H.  Sexton,* 
Andrew  J.  Smith, 
Robert  H.  Skinner, 
Daniel  Smith,* 
James  H.  Smith,* 
Elum  Sustin, 
Andrew  J.  Smith, 
Edward  W.  Smith, 
Dennis  B.  Smith, 
George  H.  Scidmore, 
James  Stevens, 
Thomas  H.  Sexton, 
Charles  E.  Sexton, 
Benjamin  F.  Stillwell,* 
James  Stevens, 
Benjamin  F.  Slecht, 
Charles  Sexton, 
Howard  T.  Sexton, 
Lewis  J.  Smith,* 
Thomas  Stewart, 
John  Sagon, 
Henry  H.  Shill, 
John  Smith, 
Don  D.  Stone,* 
John  H.  Shaft, 
William  H.  Salisbury, 
Oliver  Smith, 
George  R.  Smith, 
Edward  Silvey, 
James  E,  Snyder, 
Riley  V.  Suydam, 
Abner  Smith,* 
George  A.  Smith, 
Egbert  B.  Savage, 
Charles  S.  Sherman, 
Edward  Squires, 


THOSE  WHO  FOUGHT. 


353 


Nelson  Swan, 
William  M.  Searing, 
Owen  Sullivan, 
Edward  Sullivan, 
Charles  H.  Tompkins, 
Peter  Taylor,*  • 
Edward  H.  Thorn, 
John  Thornton, 
R.  S.  Tourtellot, 
John  Turner, 
Michael  Teathers, 
William  Taylor, 
John  Tompkins, 
Charles  DeForest  Thurber, 
William  J.  Taber,* 
George  Thompson, 
Jesse  B.  Thorn, 
Stephen  Trumble, 
William  B.  Thorn, 
Jacob  Thompson, 
Edward  Van  Rensselaer, 
Newman  Van  Wie, 
Charles  W.  Van  Petten, 
Joseph  Valentine, 
Frederick  Voxman, 
Abram  L.  Viele, 
John  R.  Valentine, 
William  W.  Worden, 
William  H.  Walker, 


Augustus  R.  Walker, 
Oscar  B.  Walker, 
James  H.  Wilson, 
D.  J.  Wheeler. 
George  H.  Weeks, 
Andrew  J.  Williamson, 
Thomas  M.  White, 
Luther  M.  Wheeler, 
Henry  Whitman, 
Andrew  A.  Weatherwax, 
John  W.  Whittaker, 
James  Welch, 
Hiram  Weatherwax, 
Jerome  Weatherwax, 
Patrick  Winn, 
Samuel  Wilcox, 
Thomas  J.  Wheaton, 
Dennis  Welch, 
Frederic  G.  Woodward, 
George  H.  Winne, 
Charles  Welch, 
Andrew  Weed, 
Joseph  H.  Weatherwax, 
David  W.  Weatherwax, 
Wallace  W.  Wickham, 
Alexander  K.  Waldron, 
Lewis  Wood, 
Alonzo  Williams, 
Elisha  A.  Waters, 


Henry  W.  Whitman, 
John  Weeks, 
Thomas  A.  White, 
Addison  Walker, 
Daniel  Webster, 
Robert  Williams, 
Bernard  Winn, 
Edwin  Washman, 
Samuel  Weeks, 
Andrew  J.  Weed, 
James  Wiley, 
Charles  H.  Wildy, 
Daniel  G.  Wager, 
Luke  Welch, 
John  Washburn, 
George  Washburn, 
George  A.  Webb, 
James  B.  Walley, 
John  C.  Winney, 
Bruce  Winney, 
Smith  C.  Whitcomb,* 
Edward  W.  Winne, 
William  K.  Young, 
George  Young, 
George  Young,  jr. , 
Uriah  Young, 
William  H.  Yale, 
Frederick  Zwanker, 
Gustavus  Zack.* 


Edward  S.  Armstrong, 
Thomas  Andrews, 
Frazer  Atkins, 
William  Abbs, 
Andrew  J.  Armstrong, 
William  G.  Bradshaw, 
Alexander  j.  Beach,* 
Jay  Burnham, 
Henry  W.  Burnham, 
George  H.  Briggs, 
Abram  G.  Bradt, 
William  Bradt, 
George  H.  Bradt, 
John  Barnhart, 
George  W.  Bigelow, 


Ballston. 

William  G.  Ball, 
Marcus  S.  Barrows, 
Frank  Clark, 
W'illiam  Davis, 
Thomas  H.  Dorsey, 
Apdrew  J.  Dubois, 
Josiah  Dean, 
James  Dunk, 
Christopher  Emperor, 
Warren  Earls, 
John  Emperor, 
John  S.  Fuller, 
David  Frisbie, 
James  Grooms, 
Patrick  Goon  an. 


Stephen  S.  Horton, 
George  Hughes, 
Philip  M.  Hill, 
Joshua  Heritage, 
Frank  Harris, 
George  Hoyt. 
Edwin  C.  Hoyt, 
Thomas  Harris, 
Joseph  F.  Jones,* 
DT  K.  Smith  Jones,* 
Ransom  Knight, 
Michael  Kildea, 
Otis  King, 
John  Kildea, 
John  Kearnes, 


254 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Alfred  H.  Kingsley, 
Hugh  Kelley, 
Truman  M.  Loveland, 
John  Lanehart, 
Jacob  Lansing, 
Moses  Lewis, 
Richard  Millard, 
Frederick  Martin, 
William  H.  Mcintosh, 
Richard  L.  Mcintosh, 
Edward  Middleton, 
Patrick  McGarr, 
John  Morris, 


Dennis  Avery, 
Russell  Avery, 
Dennis  Aley, 
Jacob  H.  Aley, 
Madison  Aley, 
William  Armstrong, 
Dudley  Avery, 
Calvin  B.  Allen, 
Harlow  Abbott, 
Alexander  Annable,* 
Solomon  Ageter, 
David  Avery, 
Charles  Barbour, 
John  Burdick, 
Charles  H.  Bartlett, 
James  Bourne,* 
Abraham  Brewer, 
Alonzo  D.  Bump, 
Edward  Baker,* 
Charles  D.  Brown, 
David  Borst,* 
Benjamin  A.  Briggs, 
George  M.  Boise,* 
Cornelius  P.  Brewer,* 
John  Brainard, 
Frederick  Burdick, 
Lorin  Brown, 
William  Brewer, 
Nelson  Bonder, 
George  W.  Brazier, 
Robert  Barber, 


Charles  Massey, 
Samuel  H.  Nelson, 
Samuel  Nelson,* 
Beekman  Near, 
Adam  Niles, 
William  H.  Quivey, 
Aaron  B.  Quivey, 
Patrick  Reidy,* 
Horace  L.  Stiles, 
George  E.  Springer, 
Hiram  R.  Sweet, 
William  Schism, 


Saratoga. 

William  H.  Brewer, 
Francis'Brewer, 
Edwin  W.  Burrage, 
Charles  H.  Bordwell, 
Seymour  Burch, 
Henry  Baker, 
Levi  Clapper, 
Henry  Crandall, 
Joseph  Cartright, 
Louis  Colburn, 
Alonzo  B.  Carpenter, 
Alonzo  B.  Clark, 
Albert  H.  Clements, 
Edward  Conners, 
Volney  Craw, 
John  Chapman, 
John  J.  Clements, 
Daniel  A.  Cole, 
McKendrick  Curtis, 
James  Clark, 
James  Curtis,* 
Asa  J.  Clothier, 
Norman  Casler, 
Enos  Crowningshield,* 
Francis  Cooney, 
Thomas  Cooney, 
John  Cooney, 
John  Conners, 
Philander  A.  Cobb, 
Charles  Chedell, 
William  Cooney, 


John  Spicer, 
John  H.  Shivis, 
Benjamin  J.  Severance, 
James  D.  Thompson, 
Alonzo  Vandenberg, 
James  "H.  Vanderwerker, 
William  W.  Worden, 
William  Wait, 
John  J.  Wood, 
Gilbert  Warren, 
Jacob  Wager, 
Norman  F.  Weeks. 


Nelson  W.  Cadman, 
Ephraim  P.  Cooper, 
Henry  Culver, 
Patrick  Cooney, 
Charles  Davis, 
Robert  Dixon, 
James  Dawenson, 
Dennison  Dodge, 
Chauncey  Dudley, 
Pliny  F.  Dunn, 
Andrew  Duval, 
Harrison  Davenport, 
Charles  S.  Dudley, 
Emery  Doolittle, 
John  Davenport, 
Martin  Davis, 
George  Davenport, 
David  Davenport,  • 
Andrew  B.  Deuel, 
Edward  Dunston, 
John  Dance, 
George  Delavarge, 
William  Diamond, 
Jonathan  Dean,  jr.,* 
Edward  Dwyer, 
Joseph  A.  Eastman, 
Thomas  Elems, 
EUery  Elems, 
Isaac  K.  Finch,* 
John  Flanders,* 
William  H.  Fursman, 


THOSE  WHO  FOUGHT. 


255 


James  O.  Fairchilds, 
John  H.  Forester, 
Michael  Falon, 
Michael  Fitzgibbons, 
Thomas  Fox, 
Daniel  Flanagan, 
Stephen  Frost, 
Jonah  D.  Groesbeck, 
William  Green,* 
Albert  S.  Green, 
Joseph  A.  Green,* 
Earl  Green,* 
Wells  Green, 
Patrick  L.  Gilroy,* 
Patrick  Galvin, 
Morgan  L.  Holmes, 
George  R.  Holmes, 
Newton  C.  Harris, 
James  H.  Hazard, 
Henry  Haas  (or  Hass),* 
Jerome  Hudson, 
Erebus  Hulburt, 
Jacob  F.  Haywood, 
Joseph  Hazeltine, 
Edward  Hickok, 
William  H.  Harrington, 
Charles  Hart,* 
Warren  M.  Haight, 
Thomas  Hoyt, 
Griffin  Haight, 
Richard  Hays, 
George  Hess,* 
Eugene  Hopkins, 
Frank  Hall,* 
John  H.  Hilkey,* 
David  R.  Husted, 
Mansfield  M.  Harrington, 
Sylvester  S.  Haight, 
George  H.  Hammond, 
Joseph  H.  Hays, 
Jonathan  Hopkins, 
Alonzo  Hammond, 
John  W.  Hines, 
Thomas  Hallagan, 
William  H.  Hamilton, 
Thomas  Harlow, 
Corwin  Holmes, 


Jerome  Huet, 
Alvin  S.  Hemstreet, 
William  Ingham, 
John  Jones, 
Philip  Johnson, 
James  JefiEords, 
Francis  I.  Jeffords, 
Ebenezer  Jacquith, 
Oliver  Jones, 
Lyman  Jones, 
Samuel  D.  Jeffords, 
James  Knowlton, 
William  Kelley,    ' 
Naphthali  W.  Kenyon, 
John  Kern, 
John  Kritley, 
Elisha  Lohnes,   ■ 
Andrew  V.  Leonard, 
James  Lynch, 
John  Lee, 
Adelbert  Lucas, 
Joseph  Laport, 
George  D.  Lovejoy, 
Nathan  Munn, 
James  H.  Myers, 
Edwin  A.  Merchant,* 
John  McMurray, 
George  H.  Myers, 
Michael  Munster, 
John  McClellan, 
John  Moon, 
Michael  McGuire, 
Warren  E.  Miller, 
Patrick  McDaniel, 
Joseph  Meurer,* 
William  McGovern, 
William  McCall, 
Henry  Munn, 
Edwin  McCullough, 
Lewis  Martin, 
William  H.  Marsh,* 
Alexander  Maltby, 
Edward  Murray,* 
Willard  McCreedy, 
Melvin  McCreedy,* 
George  McCreedy, 
Henry  McCreedy, 


Robert  McPherson,* 
Hugh  McMahon, 
James  Mason, 
Samuel  McCreedy, 
John  W.  McGregor, 
Edward  P.  Marshall, 
James  A.  Monroe, 
William  McNulty, 
Thomas  Mushgrove,* 
Edwin  Marshall, 
James  McLane, 
Nathan  Munn, 
Charles  H.  McNaughton, 
James  H.  Myers, 
John  Moore, 
,  John  A.  Myers, 
John  McLarnon, 
Prosper  Morrison, 
Wesley  Mott, 
George  McGovern, 
Albert  Ogden, 
Charles  M.  Osborne,* 
James  O'Brien, 
Henry  Owen, 
Sumner  Oakley,* 
Benjamin  Orton, 
John  S.  Osborne, 
William  H.  Osborne, 
Aaron  Osborne, 
James  Palmer, 
Henry  Plant,* 
William  Pike, 
Lorenzo  Phillips, 
David  A.  Pennock, 
Fletcher  B.  Pennock, 
Philip  Purdy, 
Jerome  Purdy, 
Henry  Pratt, 
Patrick  Quigley, 
James  Robertson, 
Thomas  Ryan, 
George  Rice, 
Henry  Robertson, 
John  R.  Rockwell, 
Patrick  Ryan, 
John  H.  Radley, 
William  Richards,* 


256 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Joseph  Rested, 
John  Rowlej',  jr., 
Jonathan  I.  Rhodes, 
John  A.  Reuchler,* 
Cyrus  F.  Rich, 
George  Root, 
R.  H.  Saint, 
William  Slocum, 
James  Strong, 
Morris  Sullivan, 
Franklin  Short, 
George  R.  Smith, 
Henry  B.  Shreeves,* 
Edward  Smack,* 
John  Stone, 
Pierpont  Stickney, 
Jerome  Snow, 
Eli  W.  Smith, 
Seneca  Smith, 
Murty  Sullivan, 
John  Sanborn,* 
William  H.  Smith, 
John  G.  Strang, 
Samuel  S.  Squires, 
Henry  Simpson, 
Adolph  Schmidt, 
William  M.  Searing, 
B.  H.  Searing, 
Matthew  Simonds, 
Charles  Stahr, 
Rensselaer  Stafford, 
George  Sutfin,* 


Adna  Abbs,  jr., 
William  Arnold,* 
Charles  Andrews, 
Alonzo  Allen, 
Arnold  T.  Ayers, 
Braman  Ayers,  jr., 
William  Abbs, 
William  Campbell, 
Ephraim  J.  Tripp, 
William  Bartel, 
William  Borttill, 

» Four  o£ 


George  T.  Stevens, 
Lucius  E.  Shurtliff. 
Arthur  Scott,* 
Franklin  Stay, 
Daniel  C.  Simonds, 
James  A.  Stearns,* 
Hiram  Storrs, 
Ernest  Schmidt, 
Frederick  Straucher, 
Joseph  Swarts, 
Edward  L.  Smith, 
George  Smith, 
Frank  Thomas, 
Gilbert  F.  Thomas,* 
Frederick  Tombs,* 
Kenyon  Tefft, 
Israel  F.  Tanner, 
Samuel  W.  Tanner, 
James  Tighe, 
Henry  Tovee, 
Reuben  K.  Thompson, 
Loren  M.  Toms,* 
George  Thompson, 
Levi  Van  Schaick, 


Lewis  Wood, 
John  Williams, 
Hiram  K.  Wilcox, 
John  Wright, 
Thomas  Whitman, 
Jarhes  H.  Whaley, 
William  Wildey, 
George  H.  Welch, 
Hiram  Weaver, 
John  B.  Welch, 
Joseph  Welch, 
Stephen  Welch, 
Andrew  J.  Weed, 
Charles  H.  Welch. 
De  Witt  C.  Winney.i 
Gardner  Winney, 
Bruce  Winney, 
Francis  K.  Winney, 
John  C.  Winney,' 
Washington  H.  Wood, 
Leroy  Whitman, 
Hamilton  White, 
John  A.  Walrath, 
H.  W.  Wright, 
Lucius  E.  Wilson, 


Robert  Van  Slyke, 
Warner  Van  Valkenburgh,*Titus  C.  White, 
Gordon  Van  Valkenburgh,  Silas  S.  White, 
Richard  Van  Antwerp,  Henry  Wilbur, 

Benjamin  Viele,  Clifford  Weston,* 

Samuel  Van  Order,  Charles  Wilsey, 

Seneca  Van  Ness,  Thomas  White. 


Milton. 


Daniel  E.  Bortell, 
Thomas  C.  Black, 
Marcus  Burras, 
James  Bortell,* 
William  A.  Baker, 
William  G.  Ball, 
George  Bolton,* 
Isaac  Boise, 
William  H.  Boise,* 
Nathan  Brown, 
Andrew  Brower, 
>  Killed  June  25,  1876,  at  the  Custer  massacre, 
these  representatives  of  the  Winney  family  were  brothers. 


David  Borst, 
James  W.  Bacon, 
Case  Ballou, 
Edwin  Bobenreath, 
Alexander  J.  Beach, 
John  H.  Briggs, 
Miles  E.  Burby, 
William  Barrett, 
George  Bowers, 
Thomas  J.  Bradt, 
James  Conlan,    ,, 


THOSE  WHO  FOUGHT. 


357 


William  Craig,* 
Joseph  Cromack,* 
Charles  P.  Cornell, 
Lewis  Calkins,* 
Benjamin  H.  Carr, 
Clark  Collins, 
George  H.  Curreen, 
Patrick  Cannon, 
Philip  S.  Christy, 
Mark  Cochran, 
James  W.  Cole, 
Eugene  N.  Carroll, 
George  Cruise, 
James  Cuyler, 
Jared  L.  Crouch, 
Charles  M.  Carter, 
Hubert  Curtis, 
William  J.  Chilson, 
Thomas  Craig, 
John  Crouch, 
Egbert  W.  Davis, 
Robert  N.  Delong, 
Joseph  R.  Day,* 
Benjamin  H.  Day,* 
Truman  Deuel, 
Stephen  Davis, 
James  Dunk, 
John  Duckett, 
Wesley  J.  Date, 
Henry  C.  Delong, 
Henry  C.  Dye, 
Robert  Delong, 
Henry  Davis, 
William  Eastbam, 
Nathan  Eldredge, 
Alfred  Eighmy, 
Edward  Estabrook, 
Patrick  English, 
Leonard  Englehart, 
Warren  Earl, 
James  Emperor,* 
Schuyler  Freeman, 
William  D.  Freeman, 
Cyrus  M.  Fay, 
Robert  Fox,* 
Andrew  J.  Freeman, 
George  F.  Foster, 
17 


James  V.  Fogg,* 
Herman  C.  Fowler, 
Samuel  Farnsworth, 
Collins  Foster, 
John  Fuller, 
A.  M.  Fitzgerald, 
Elenah  Gildersleeve, 
David  E.  Goffe, 
Gottfried  Gleesattle, 
George  T.  Graham, 
Justus  M.  Gilson,* 
Frederick  Gleesattle, 
James  K.  Gillespie, 
John  Greer, 
Harley  Groesbeck, 
David  Galusha, 
Terence  Gregg, 
John  Goeghan, 
George  R.  Goodwin, 
Dudley  Goodwin, 
John  Hegeman, 
Charles  Howard, 
Ozias  Hewitt, 
Clement  C.  Hill, 
Noble  G.  Hammond, 
Alanson  F.  Hatch,* 
Amasa  A.  Holbrook, 
Otis  Holbrook,* 
Cornelius  S.  Huyck, 
Edward  Hall, 

Dallas  Hoyt, 
Alexander  C.  Holmes, 
William  H.  Hewitt,  jr., 

James  A.  Hanna, 

Seymour  Harris, 

Smith  Harlow, 

Orrin  Hill, 

William  B.  Horton, 

John  B.  Harlow, 

John  M.  Hammond, 

George  L.  Hayes, 

Andrew  Hassett, 

William  Hall, 

John  Howard, 

Frederick  Hope, 

Stephen  Harris, 

Nicholas  Hudson, 


Alva  Hickok, 

William  H.  Hewitt, 

Martin  Hunter, 

Thomas  Harris, 

George  W.  Ingalls, 

Edwin  R.  Ingalls, 

Benjamin  J.  Jones, 

William  J.  Jennings, 

William  H.  Johnston, 

James  Jermain,  - 

Frederick  Keenholtz,* 

Christopher  F.  Keenholtz, 

Oscar  Kemp, 

Edwin  L.  Lockwood, 

George  D.  Luffman, 

Lewis  Lakey,* 

Francis  Love,* 

Matthew  Love,* 

Moses  Lewis, 

John  E.  Lansing, 

Lewis  Lane, 

George  Le  Clare, 

Jesse  R.  Lewis, 

William  Lewis, 

Henry  Lowery, 

Joseph  Lewis, 

Wallace  Morrison, 

John  Mitchell, 

Alexander  Morrison, 
Thomas  Mainhood, 
Alexander  Slead, 
David  D.  Miller,* 
Alexander  Mcintosh, 
John  F.  Mosher,* 
Frederick  Morehouse, 
John  Mosher, 
George  Milham, 
Ferdinand  Miller, 
James  McNab, 
Wallace  Mcintosh, 
John  S.  McKnight, 
Patrick  Murray, 
James  B.  McLean, 
E.  Wilson  Merriam, 
Charles  MasSey, 
Samuel  Massey, 
James  C.  Milliman, 


258 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE, 


H.  T.  Medbery, 
Robert  E.  Nelson, 
Henry  O'Neil,* 
Elijah  Olmstead,* 
Leonard  Osman,* 
John  O'Neil, 
W.  H.  Owen, 
Charles  A.  Perry, 
Robert  Porter, 
Archibald  Phillips, 
Anson  J.  Palmatier, 
Alfred  Pickett, 
Cyrus  Padelford, 
Reuben  Parkhurst, 
Isaac  Porter, 
Charles  Pettit. 
Asahel  W.  Potter, 
Henry  Packard, 
Albert  J.  Reid, 
Patrick  D.  Rooney,* 
James  E.  Reed, 
Frederick  Smith, 
Benjamin  T.  Simon, 
Lafayette  Schermerhorn,* 
Arnold  Spicer, 
Paul  Settle,  jr., 
Charles  Shiegel, 
John  Southwart, 
Simeon  Sill, 
Lorenzo  Smith, 
Philip  SchaflEer, 


John  W.  Arnold,* 
Lucian  Annable, 
John  R.  Armstrong, 
Loren  Abel, 
James  Anthony, 
Charles  D.  Atkinson, 
Adolphus  Arnold, 
Julius  P.  Bennett, 
George  Bostwick, 
Orramel  T.  Bostwick, 
William  Burger, 
James  Bloomingdale,* 
John  Burras, 
Archibald  Brown, 


Elijah  Sherman, 
Edward  C.  Slocum, 
Thomas  S.  Stairs, 
John  P.  Staples, 
John  G.  Sternbaur, 
Harris  T.  Slocum, 
Benjamin  Severance, 
Martin  V.  Sheffer, 
Hiram  Sweet,  jr., 
Charles  H.  Sullivan, 
Horace  Salisbury, 
Hiram  P.  Sherman, 
Darius  Shill, 
Tobias  Salisbury, 
Charles  Searles, 
Zagar  Strong,* 
Gideon  A.  Tripp, 
Flavius  A.  Titus, 
Ira  Tripp,* 
James  D.  Thompson, 
George  W.  Trumble, 
Royal  M.  Tenny, 
Ephraim  Tiff, 
Isaac  Thorp, 
Miletus  Taft, 

Sandy  R.  Van  Steenburgh, 
Asa  Van  Dyke, 
George  Van  Dyke, 
William  R.  Van  Arnum, 
Jacob  H.  Van  Arnum, 

Stillwater, 

Stephen  F.  Baker, 
Benjamin  A.  Briggs, 
Henry  Bradt, 
Levi  A.  Brooks, 
William  R.  Britton, 
John  Barnes, 
Charles  H.  Betts, 
James  Buchanan,* 
Thomas  J.  Bradt, 
John  D.  Bristol, 
Lysander  Bortle, 
Joseph  M.  Bullock, 
William  M.  Carl, 
William  S.  Comstock,* 


John  H.  Van  Steenburgh, 
Michael  Van  Horn, 
George  L.  Van  Steenburgh, 
James  E.  Webster,* 
Joseph  S.  Wayne,* 
Edmund  Williams, 
George  M.  Wood, 
Horace  Weaver, 
Samuel  H.  Weldon, 
Datus  E.  Wilbur, 
James  M.  Wood, 
James  A.  Wager, 
Eugene  Werner, 
Jeremiah  Wager, 
Albert  L.  Wood, 
Norman  Wood, 
Charles  F.  Wait, 
Isaac  Warn, 
Albert  A.  Weatherwax, 
John  Walls, 

Alonzo  M.  Weatherwax, 
William  Weatherwax, 
William  Webb, 
John  R.  Wilbur, 
Atwood  Wilbur, 
Lee  Whalen, 
Daniel  Webster, 
George  Webster, 
Harvey  Young, 
Waldo  Young, 


Slocum  Clark, 
Seth  Codman, 
Michael  Cary,* 
Joseph  Clark, 
Chauncey  Crandall, 
George  Carr, 
Thomas  H.  Curley, 
George  H.  Collamer, 
William  S.  Comstock, 
Jesse  D.  Comstock, 
Joseph  Caho, 
Charles  Conner, 
Edwin  C.  Collamer, 
Thomas  Collamer, 


THOSE  WHO  FOUGHT. 


259 


James  Cowhey, 
Charles  Devoe, 
John  Dyer, 
Thomas  Delany, 
Lorenzo  Delun , 
Eli  D.  Eitzo,* 
Thomas  Elms, 
William  C.  Ensign, 
Thomas  Emperor, 
Charles  Elms, 
Clarence  Elms, 
Charles  B.  Fellows,* 
Simon  Flansburg, 
William  Francisco, 
Adam  Flansburg, 
Peter  Folmsbee 

(or  Formsby), 
Jacob  Force, 
Elisha  R.  Freeman, 
John  Flynn, 
Henry  G.  Force, 
Augustus  Farrimar, 
George  Fry, 
Arthur  W.  Force, 
John  Guest, 
Hubert  Gallup,* 
Michael  Goodwin, 
William  H.  Gorham, 
Stephen  Guest, 
James  Gilbert, 
Lewis  G.  Gorham, 
George  H.  Golden, 
Stephen  C.  Hanson, 
Henry  Hagadorn, 
Charles  Hart, 
George  F.  Houghtaling, 
Theodore  Hermance, 
Ashton  M.  Howard, 
B.  A.  Harrington, 
George  W.  Hurley, 
Alonzo  Howland, 
George  W.  Hammond, 
Walter  Hewitt, 
George  Houseman, 
Isaac  V.  Hammond,* 
Richard  Hutchins, 
Sylvester  S.  Haight, 


Thomas  Jones, 
Allen  Jones, 
William  D.  Jones, 
Charles  JefEers, 
Martin  Jackson, 
Thomas  Keller, 
Isaac  Kipp,  jr.,* 
Tunis  Kipp, 
John  H.  Kipp, 
George  Kline, 
Abel  J.  Loren, 
Abram  Lent, 
Abraham  Latham,* 
George  E.  Lane, 
Reed  Loomis,  - 
Mark  Merger, 
Orin  Myers, 
Peter  M.  Mooney, 
Thomas  Myers, 
Lafayette  M.  Myers, 
Henry  Milliken,* 
Francis  I.  Montgomery, 
Alfred  Milliken, 
Charles  Milliken,* 
Amos  McOmber, 
Isaac  Myers,  jr., 
Leander  Milliken, 
Thomas  McCue, 
Andrew  M.  Carlin, 
George  B.  Myers, 
Charles  Mott. 
Samuel  McGowan, 
James  Nolan, 
Michael  Nolan, 
George  W.  Ostrander, 
Elias  T.  Overocker, 
James  F.  Outing, 
De  Witt  C.  Overocker, 
Thomas  F.  Outing, 
William  N.  Overocker, 
Robert  E.  Parker, 
James  E.  Poucher, 
Seneca  Poucher, 
Samuel  Porter, 
Horatio  G.  Peck, 
Isaac  Porter, 
David  Pangburne, 


William  Poucher, 
Henry  Parris, 
John  Phelan, 
James  Parker,* 
Peter  M.  Post, 
Henry  O.  Packard, 
James  Palmer, 
William  H.  Quackenbush, 
Tunis  W.  Quackenbush,* 
Michael  Quinlan, 
William  R.  Rogers, 
Albert  A.  Rudd, 
Samuel  W.  Seymour, 
John  Smith, 
George  Snow, 
Harlow  B.  Spencer, 
Andrew  Sterrett, 
William  Shein, 
Nelson  W.  Stearns,* 
Russell  Seymour, 
Henry  H.  Shell, 
William  Smith,* 
Francis  D.  Short, 
George  Snyder, 
James  Smith, 
Edward  Smith, 
John  Stewart,* 
Job  S.  Safford, 
Warren  Seymour, 
Frank  Thomas, 
James  Taylor, 
David  A.  Thompson, 
William  Taylor, 
Benjamin  Thackery, 
Israel  Tanner, 
Truman  M.  Tourtellot, 
Samuel  Van  Norder, 
Henry  J.  Van  Wie, 
Cornelius  Vandenburg, 
Barnard  Van  Auder 

(or  Van  Norder), 
Andrew  J.  Van  Wie, 
William  N.  Viele, 
Newman  Van  Wie, 
Lawrence  Vandenmark, 
John  Van  Wie, 
Charles  Vandeburg, 


260 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


A.  J.  Walker, 
Horace  Wing, 
Charles  Webb, 
Michael  Wall, 
Richard  Walsh, 


Joel  S.  Alexander,* 
Oscar  Alexander, 
William  H.  Alexander, 
William  G.  Barhydt, 
Walter  Barnard, 
John  Barnes,* 
Frank  D.  Barnum, 
Albert  Fisk  Beach, 
Aaron  Berger, 
Henry  Bethman, 
Patrick  Bolin, 
Samuel  C.  Bradt,* 
Lewis  Broughton, 
Thomas  Broughton, 
Nathan  H.  Brown, 
Edward  Cain, 
I/evi  Callen, 
William  H.  Cath, 
David  J.  Caw, 
George  Chambers,* 
Isaac  H.  Conde, 
John  H.  Cook,* 
James  Cooney, 
Abraham  Coonradt,* 
Philip  S.  Coonradt, 
James  H.  Corl,* 
Gilbert  C.  Davidson,* 
Thomas  Delong, 
James  Drummond, 


Arthur  Ashdown, 
John  R.  Britton, 
Ira  Billingham, 
Nelson  Batt, 
Courtlandt  Backman, 
James  H.  Bratt, 
Benjamin  Bace,* 
Charles  Bace, 


William  H.  Westcot, 
Lewis  C.  Ward, 
Charles  Wilsey, 
John  J.  Williams, 
MelvinW.  Wilson, 

Charlton. 

James  L.  Dows,* 
William  Foyle,* 
James  W.  Finch, 
John  L.  Fort,* 
Oren  Fowler,* 
Lawrence  Gardiner, 
Garrett  S.  Grovenstein, 
Harvey  B.  Grovenstein, 
John  Grovenstein, 
William  C.  Harmon,* 
William  H.  Hart, 
Henry  W.  Heaton, 
Francis  Haynes, 
George  Houseman, 
Leroy  Hoyt,* 
Orey  Hudson, 
Briggs  N.  Jenne, 
Oscar  I.  Jenne, 
Edward  O.  Jennings, 
William  H.  Jones, 
Charles  H.  Jones, 
Michael  Kildea, 
Alfred  H.  Kingsley. 
Joseph  F.  Kingsley, 
James  D.  Knight, 
Andrew  Manning,* 
John  Martin, 
David  Millard, 
John  C.  Morehouse, 

Waterford. 

Joseph  Black,* 
Sylvester  Black,* 
Martin  Cody, 
William  Curtis, 
John  W.  Clute, 
Hiram  Clute,* 
Patrick  Conway,* 
Henry  Dummer, 


Lee  Whalen, 
Gardner  Winney, 
De  Witt  Winney, 
Edwin  Williams, 
John  A.  Whitman. 


Charles  H.  Murray, 
John  W.  Owen, 
William  H.  Owen, 
John  C.  Quinn, 
John  Rector,* 
Henry  C.  Riley, 
James  Riley, 
John  D.  Riley, 
Simon  Riley, 
Charles  W.  Rowley, 
Charles  R.  Severance, 

Slocum, 

Henry  A.  Smith, 
William  H.  Smith, 
Louis  W.  Stanhope, 
Lorenzo  Smith, 
Thomas  Stairs, 
George  Tanner,* 
Frank  Underbill,* 
James  H.  Underbill, 
Frederick  Valentine, 
John  Van  Evera, 
Peter  Wager, 
John  W.  Ward, 
Manly  Warren, 
Barent  Wemple, 
George  C.  Wilder,* 
William  E.  Wilder,* 
James  K.  Wilson. 


John  Dugan, 
Abram  Devitt, 
A.  L.  Estabrook, 
J.  H.  Francisco, 
James  Frazier, 
James  H.  Gettings, 
Thomas  H.  Glavin, 
John  Halpin, 


THOSE  WHO  FOUGHT. 


361 


Lawrence  Wiggins, 
James  1.  House, 
Baker  Honsinger, 
Patrick  Hussey, 
Henry  W.  Hart, 
Joseph  Harriman, 
Samuel  Johnson, 
Charles  N.  Kilby, 
Daniel  Lavery, 
Edward  Lavery, 
Oscar  E.  Little, 
Patrick  Morrissey, 
Patrick  McCall, 
John  Murray,* 
John  M.  Martratt, 
Matthew  H.  Martratt, 
Patrick  McCartey, 
Charles  E.  Martratt, 
Charles  Ogden, 
Benjamin  O'Connor, 
George  H.  Parkman, 


James  W.  Parks, 
George  W.  Porter, 
Edwin  Porter, 
J.  G.  Porter,* 
Samuel  H.  Peters,* 
Newton  Peters. 
George  L.  Rogers, 
Oliver  Shaw,* 
Ezra  T.  Stone, 
Harrison  A.  Stone, 
Martin  Slatterly, 
Ralph  A.  Savage, 
John  W.  Schofield, 
Charles  A.  Schofield, 
.  John  Singleton, 
Charles  W.  Shepherd,* 
Henry  Simpson, 
Duane  Shepherd, 
John  Ten  Broeck, 
John  H.  Van  Orden, 


James  Van  Orden, 
Barna  Vandekar, 
Joseph  C.  Vandewerker, 
Schuyler  Vandekar, 
William  Van  Antwerp, 
T.  B.  Vandekar,* 
John  H.  Vandewerker,* 
Jesse  White, 
Martin  Welsh, 
Joseph  Wright, 
Edward  White, 
Giles  B.  Wood, 
Lewis  Wells, 
Daniel  G.  Waldron, 
William  Welch, 
Ira  M.  Wilson, 
Lemand  Wager, 
John  Wright,* 
Edward  Welch, 
Lewis  B.  Wells.* 


Oscar  L.  Ackley,* 
Judson  B.  Andrews, 
John  M.  Brewer, 
Joseph  H.  Bullock, 
Charles  H.  Betts, 
Ebenezer  C.  Broughton, 
Augustus  W.  Bayard, 
George  E.  Brockway, 
George  W.  Bortle, 
Charles  Burnham,* 
Rev.  Fred  N.  Barlow, 
James  H.  Clark, 
George  D.  Cole, 
Rev.  Sylvester  W.  Clemens, 
William  S.  Clemens, 
George  Carr, 
Henry  G.  Craig, 
Simeon  W.  Crosby, 
Henry  Clark, 
Aaron  Dillingham,* 
Thomas  Donahue, 
Charles  W.  Dusten, 
Henry  B.  Dummer, 


Halfmoon. 

Thomas  Empterns, 
William  H.  Evartts,* 
John  W.  Filkins, 
Ambrose  Fowler, 
Peter  Folmsbee, 
E.  Raymond  Fonda,* 
Abram  Filkins, 
Losee  Filkins, 
George  Freeman, 
Isaac  L.  Fonda, 
Alfred  Gould, 
Fred  S.  Goodrich, 
William  H.  Gorham, 
Edward  Greene, 
Henry  Haylock, 
George  T.  Hoag, 
George  H.  Houghtaling, 
James  K.  P.  Himes,* 
James  H.  Hicks,* 
John  Hoover, 
Henry  Honeyer, 
Edward  Holland, 
Isaac  V.  Irish, 


John  Irish, 
Patrick  Kelly, 
James  T.  Kennedy, 
George  Kilmer, 
John  Kelly,* 
Aaron  Lewis, 
William  B.  Look, 
Philip  Link,* 
Abbott  C.  Musgrave,* 
John  Mulligan, 
Charles  H.  Milliken,* 
Leander  Milliken, 
John  McGuire, 
Alfred  G.  Noxon, 
S.  Mitchell  Noxon, 
Alfred  Phoenix, 
George  W.  Pettit, 
Hiram  Richardson,* 
William  Ryan, 
Frank  Short, 
William  Smith,* 
Henry  Sampson, 
Marvin  Steenburgh, 


263 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Henry  Shouts, 
Andrew  H.  Smith, 
John  P.  Silvernail, 
Duane  Shepherd,* 
Almon  E.  Stone, 
Jacob  Sever, 
De  Witt  Sickler, 
Samuel  W.  Seymour, 
Samuel  D.  Stevenson, 


John  Smith, 
Solomon  P.  Smith, 
Chalsey  W.  Simmons,* 
Frank  Smith, 
Benjamin  Thackrah 

(or  Thackeray), 
Elias  D.  Tuttle, 
Thomas  Thackeray, 
George  Vandercook, 


Warren  Van  Olinda, 
George  T.  Van  Hoesen, 

Van  Dervort, 

James  Wilson,* 
John  R.  Wait, 
Samuel  A.  Winslow, 
James  Wade, 
Albert  Wood  in. 


Merritt  B.  Allen, 
Samuel  Allen,* 
Thomas  Armer,* 
Gideon  A.  Austin, 
Orville  W.  Austin, 
Vernam  Barber,* 
Henry  Bertrand,* 
George  Bevin,* 
Henry  Boughton,* 
Henry  Bolton, 
Miles  Bowen, 
Smith  Briggs,* 
Michael  Brusnihan, 
Hiram  Broughton, 
John  E.  Cavert, 
Nicholas  Cavert,* 
James  Clancy, 
J.  W.  Clark,* 
John  Clifford, 
John  Clifford,  jr., 
George  Colony,* 
Almonte  Crater, 
David  B.  Crittenden, 
James  Driscoll, 
Richard  Dunberg, 
Charles  S.  Fisher,* 
Henry  Fisher, 
Thomas  Fitzgerald,* 
Edward  Fosmire, 
Frederick  Foss, 
William  Foss, 
Alonzo  Hermance, 


Galway. 

Alfred  Hickok, 
John  H.  Hicks, 
John  P.  Hudson, 
Nathan  B.  Hudson, 
John  Hunter, 
James  Ireland, 
William  Ireland, 
Robert  Kelly, 
Oliver  Lansing, 
William  Leach, 
Everts  Lingenfelter, 
John  Lowry, 
Joel  McCouchie, 
Terence  McGovern, 
Thomas  McGovern, 
Alonzo  H.  McKee, 
Samuel  McKinney,* 
Ezra  McOmber, 
George  A.  McOmber, 
Simeon  D.  Mirandeville, 
Henry  Morgan, 
Charles  Mow, 
John  C.  Mow, 
James  Norris, 
John  Norris, 
Benjamin  C.  Northrup, 
William  Orr, 
Charles  Ostrander,* 
Calvin  W.  Preston, 
Frederick  W.  Putzar,* 
Frederick  Quant, 
Patrick  Ready,* 
James  Reese,* 


James  Reese,  jr., 
Matthew  Relyea, 
William  Relyea, 
John  L.  Root,* 
Seth  B.  Root, 
John  Rubach, 
Simon  Ryan, 
Daniel  Shayne, 
Thomas  Shayne, 
Michael  Sheehy, 
Lucius  E.  Shurtliff, 
John  A.  Smith, 
William  Sullivan, 
Henry  Tanner,* 
William  Tompkins,* 
William  Turner, 
Cornelius  Ty meson, 
Eldert  Tymeson,* 
Charles  F.  Wait, 
George  W.  Welch, 
John  W.  Whitmarsh, 
Walter  W.  Zears, 
Charles  Cornell, 
James  Cowhey, 
Charles  H.  Crouch, 
Christopher  Hyer, 
Lyman  E.  Miller, 
William  R.  Miller, 
W.  W.  MiUiman, 
C.  Palmatier, 
Horace  A.  Post, 
John  Shear. 


THOSE  WHO  FOUGHT. 


263 


William  Henry  Ames, 
Thomas  Andrews, 
Thomas  Barney, 
David  W.  Barry, 
General  George  S.  Batchel- 

ler,' 
Commander  Oliver  H.  Bat- 

cheller,  U.S.N.,2 
Preserved  A.  Benson, 
Wesson  Benson,* 
George  W.  Bidwell, 
David  L.  Bowman, 
Amos  O.  Brown, 
Calvin  Brown, 
Daniel  W.  Barney, 
Amos  Burk, 
Carmi  Betts, 
John  Booth, 
Daniel  Cady, 
Timothy  Cady,* 
John  G.  Casey,  \ 

Lorin  Cole,* 
William  T.  Conkling,* 
Charles  D.  Cozens, 
Addison  L.  Davenport,* 
John  S.  Dean, 
Asa  Deming, 
Asa  Deming, 

Deming,* 

Ezekiel  Deming, 
Horace  Demingi 
John  H.  Deming, 
Mansfield  A.  Deming,* 
Simeon  Deming, 
James  B.  Douglas,* 
Anson  J.  Downing, 


Edinburgh. 

George  T.  Downing, 
Morris  J-  Drymau,* 
William  Dullard, 
George  M.  Evans, 

Flack,* 

George  Fox, 
John  Freeman, 
Leman  Frost, 
Otis  Frost, 
John  G.  Graves,* 
Julian  W.  Graves, 
William  Graves,* 
William  Greenfield, 
Abner  Hall, 
William  B.  Hall, 
Emery  W.  Hosley,* 
George  L.  Hayden,* 
Charles  D.  Herrick, 
Joseph  M.  Herrick, 
William  Douglass  Herrick, 
Charles  J.  Houghtaling, 
John  H.  Hulburt, 
George  W.  Hutchinson, 
Charles  W.  Jenkins, 
William  H.  Jenkins,* 
Nicholas  Jensser,* 
David  W.  Jones,* 
Willard  Jones.* 
George  B.  King, 
John  S.  King, 
Samuel  W.  King, 
Warren  E.  Kinney, 
Charles  W.  Knight, 
Jesse  Lewis, 
William  H.  Lewis, 
James  Lockwood, 


Jesse  Low, 
David  E.  Lyon, 
Louis  Mackay, 
Henry  C.  McCuen, 
James  McLean, 
Jonas  McLean, 
Jesse  Moore, 
Frankhn  Morrill, 
Edward  Mott, 
Levi  Myers, 
John  H.  Noyes, 
Newton  S.  Noyes, 
Charles  A.  Perkins, 
Henry  P.  Perry, 
Franklin  Priest, 
George  R.  Priest, 
Peter  S.  Putnam, 
Edwin  C.  Resseguie, 
Henry  Rhodes, 
Samuel  Rhodes, 
William  Rhodes, 
Francis  Rice, 
Michael  Rice, 
John  Ross, 
Hayden  Shew, 
Mahlon  Robinson, 
Amasa  D.  Shippey, 
Robert  P.  Smith, 
Joseph  H.  Snow, 
George  Steele, 
Lyman  Steele,* 
William  F.  Stewart,* 
James  Tabor, 
Foster  Taylor, 
Charles  E.  Thorn, 
Smith  Travis, 


'  Georg-e  S.  Batcheller  was  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth  New  York 
Volunteers;  was  afterward  made  inspector-general  of  New  York  State,  and  later  was  appointed 
a  judge  in  the  International  Court  at  Cairo,  Egypt.  He  has  also  served 'several  terms  in  the 
New  York  State  Assembly,  has  been  United  States  minister  to  Portugal,  and  assistant -treasurer 
of  the  United  States,  and  is  now  serving  his  second  term  as  judge  of  the  International  Court  at 
Cairo. 

^  Oliver  H.  Batcheller  was  graduated  from  the  United  States  Naval  academy  at  Annapolis, 
Md.,  and  became  a  lieutenant  in  the  navy.  He  served  with  Farragut  at  Mobile  and  Port  Hudson, 
was  promoted  to  be  lieutenant-commander,  and  later  was  put  in  command  of  the  Navy  yard  at 
Charlestown,  Mass. 


264 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


James  Varney, 
Russell  Varney, 
Thomas  J.  Wheaton, 
John  H.  Whitaker,* 
Henry  W.  Whitaker, 


Charles  D.  Atkinson, 
Philip  J.  Austin, 
Charles  Atkins, 
Chauncey  L.  Beebe, 
Charles  C.  Clark, 
Charles  S.  Dunham, 
Albert  Dunning, 


Frederick  W.  Andrews,* 
Horace  Ballou, 
Aaron  Bratt,* 
Timothy  Brewer, 
Archibald  E.  Brooks,* 
George  Brooks, 
Francis  Brower, 
David  T.  Burnham, 
Daniel  Cady, 
Henry  W.  Cass, 
Charles  Chapman, 
Asa  J.  Clothier, 
J.  S.  Clothier, 
William  M.  Clothier, 
Dwight  Combs, 
Justin  Combs,* 
Charles  Davis,* 
R.  H.  Densmore, 
S.  T.  Densmore,* 
Peter  Deuel,* 
Elijah  Earls, 
James  Early, 
Luther  Frazier,* 
Truman  Gray, 


William  H.  Austin, 
Joseph  W.  Abiel, 
Thomas  H.  Adock, 
Isaac  Bemus, 


Myron  White,* 
Wing  A.  White, 
Frank  Whitney, 
Hartwell  H.  Whitney,* 
John  H.  Wickus,* 

Malta. 

George  D.  Fish, 
Erastus  H.  Harder, 
William  H.  Kane, 
Charles  W.  Miller, 
William  McCarty, 
Abner  Mosher, 
Edward  Olmstead, 
Joseph  Pairer, 

Corinth. 

Byron  Guiles, 
Samuel  Guiles,* 
Harmon  Hagadorn, 
John  Haggerty, 
Ambrose  C.  Hickok, 
Solomon  Hickok,* 
Daniel  B.  Ide, 
Gilbert  C.  Ide, 
Havillah  J.  Loop, 
F.  La  Pierre, 
George  B.  Lyon, 
William  P.  Lyon, 
Henry  W.  Mallery, 
Levi  Manning, 
Hugh  McCouchie, 
Joseph  McCouchie,* 
John  Merritt, 
J.  I.  Monroe, 
William  H.  Monroe, 
Frederick  Parkman, 
George  Place, 
Isaac  Plue,* 
John  Redmond, 
Philip  Rice,* 

Northumberland. 

Edward  Brady, 
James  C.  Brisbin, 
Lewis  A.  Burdick, 
John  Brainerd, 


Paul  R.  Williams, 
John  Wood, 
Norman  B.  Wood, 
Theodore  Worden. 


William  H.  Rose, 
George  D.  Story, 
Eugene  Shears, 
John  Stewart, 
Sidney  Smith, 
Michael  Van  Horn,* 
George  W.  Vail. 


John  St.  John, 
Darius  Schofield,  M,  D. , 
Chauncey  Searls, 
Augustus  Sherman, 
Alexander  Showers, 
Joseph  H.  Showers,* 
Thomas  Smith, 
Joel  Taylor, 
James  Turner, 
Reuben  Varney, 
Alexander  Walker,* 
David  L.  Walker, 
Epaphroditas  Walker,' 
Romaine  Walker, 
Lloyd.Wesson,* 
Benjamin  Wheaton, 
Emory  J.  White, 
Myron  W.  Wilcox, 
Hamilton  B.  Woodcock 
Henry  J.  Woodcock, 
Hiram  Woodcock,* 
Jesse  F.  Wood, 
William  Woodward,* 
Uriah  Young.* 


John  P.  Bijrns, 
George  H.  Brown, 
James  Burns, 
James  Baths,* 


THOSE  WHO  FOUGHT. 


265 


Frederick  Bocher, 
John  Burke, 
John  A.  Chase, 
John  Case, 
James  H.  Carr, 
Rodolphus  Cook, 
John  Conners, 
John  C.  Coon, 
Su'mner  S.  Clark, 
Joseph  Carney, 
William  CofEnger, 
Alfred  Chase,* 

Debois,* 

John  Donnelly,* 
Henry  J.  Davis,* 
George  H.  Ellison, 
William  Ellett, 
William  T.  Fuller, 
Thomas  S.  Fuller, 
Walter  GifBord, 
David  Galusha, 
Charles  Goodwin, 
Edward  Gawner, 
James  Galusha, 
James  K.  Galusha, 
George  M.  Galusha,* 
James  Harrington, 
John  Horrigan,* 
James  Hays, 
Thomas  Hackett, 
Joseph  M.  Hays, 
Henry  Kurd, 
Philip  Harder, 
George  Hanner, 
Frank  Hall,* 
Charles  Juba, 
Patrick  Keney, 
Franklin  Kirkham, 

Warren  Baker, 
Amasa  Bartlett,* 
Charles  Blackwood, 
George  N.  Blackwood, 
William  Blackwood,* 
Edward  Blower, 
John  Brown,* 
Joseph  Campbell,* 


George  D.  Lovejoy, 
Charles  Leack,* 
Francis  Leack, 
William  Limber, 
Octavius  Landon, 
Amos  Laduke, 
Leander  Laduke, 
Michael  Labare, 
David  Laraw, 
Abraham  Y.  Lansing, 
Ambrose  McOdock, 
Victor  Matott,* 
James  McLane, 
Charles  W.  Mott, 
Hugh  McMann, 
Peter  Murphy, 
Ambrose  Matott,* 
Timothy  Madigan, 
Joseph  Merchant, 
William  McCartey, 
Edward  Moran, 
Thomas  Money, 
Henry  M.  Moody,* 
William  H.  McLane, 
Samuel  McGown, 
Jacob  Newman, 
Moses  Newell, 
Thomas  Newalk, 
Taylor  I.  Newell, 
George  S.  Orr, 
John  L.  Osborne, 
Aaron  H.  Osborne, 
Hiram  A.  Perkins, 
Charles  E.  Phillips,* 
George  H.  Pearsall, 
John  W.  Palmer, 
Daniel  Peck, 

Hadley. 
Dennis  Costello, 
William  Dingman,* 
John  W.  Dubois,* 
Samuel  Ellis, 
Elam  Evans,* 
George  Evans,* 
Samuel  Evans, 
John  J.  Flanders, 


Joseph  Pepo, 
Reuben  E.  Robinson, 
Daniel  Reardon, 
Harper  N.  Rogers, 
John  Robinson,* 
Calvin  A.  Rice, 
James  Shaw, 
James  G.  Scott, 
Alvin  Smith, 
Sanford  Shearer, 
Samuel  A.  Shaver, 
Joseph  Smith, 
Washington  Sherman,* 
Jaipes  Shurter,* 
Patrick  Savage, 
James  M.  Terhune, 
Loren  M.  Toms,* 
Reuben  K.  Thompson, 
Patrick  Toumey, 
James  H.  Terhune, 
William  Vanduzen, 
Charles  Van  Kleeck,* 
Taylor  Vandewerker, 
Sidney  Vandenburg, 
James  Van  Wagner,* 
Lewis  W.  Vandenburg,* 
James  P.  Vandewerker,* 
James  C.  Vandenburg,* 
Lyman  Vandenburg, 
Dennison  J.  Willard, 
Isaac  H.  Wilson, 
Shallum  We^, 
William  Wildy, 
John  P.  Winney, 
Henry  Wilder, 
Patrick  Welch, 
Ch3,rles  Wheeler." 


Jonathan  Flanders, 
John  Gilbert, 
Briggs  Gray, 
George  Harrington,* 
Eugene  Holland, 
John  Holland, 
Charles  Jeflfers, 
RoUin  Jenkins, 


aee 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Joel  J.  Loveless, 
William  Mahar, 

Maloney,* 

John  McCormick, 
Zabin  Mills,* 
William  Newton,* 
Charles  H.  Palmer,* 
Mandelbert  J.  Palmer,* 
William  H.  Palmer, 
John  Peart, 
Joseph  Reed, 
Frank  Rice,* 
Wade  Rice, 


Michael  Ahr, 
Henry  H.  Barker, 
Albert  M.  Burroughs, 
Walter  D.  Barnes,* 
Charles  Brice,* 
Thomas  E.  Brice, 
George  Burnham, 
Frank  Breese, 
James  C.  Brisbin, 
Joel  Brown, 
William  H.  Bennett, 
Charles  H.  Brodie, 
Walter  Brodie, 
George  W.  Campbell, 
Luther  Church, 
Charles  Cutler, 
Reed  Church, 
Patrick  Callan, 
John^Callan, 
C.  M.  Cool, 
Patrick  Conoly, 
Asa  J.  Clothier, 
Walter  Dwyer,* 
Ransom  O.  Dwyer,* 
Abraham  L.  Davis, 
Stephen  Decker,* 
Josepli  Dorvee, 
George  De  Long, 
Henry  H.  Day, 
William  Dorvee, 
John  Davis, 
Philip  Donahue, 


Joseph  Ross, 
Samuel  Ross, 
Edwin  Ruthven, 

Saulsbury,* 

Wesley  Scovill, 
Edward  Sherman, 
Zabin  Shippey, 
Irving  Simpson, 
Charles  Stewart, 
Daniel  A.  Stewart, 
Truman  B.  Stewart, 
Walter  Sutliff, 

MOREAU. 

Alonzo  Ensign 
David  Ellison, 
A.  Ellison, 
James  Ellison, 
Danford  Edmonds, 
Danford  Edmonds  2d, 
Tobias  Fralenburgh, 
Henry  G.  Gurney, 
Enoch  Gurney, 
Truman  Gilbert, 
Frederick  Gleesattle, 
John  W.  Hilton, 
John  Hilton,* 
Timothy  Hodges, 
George  E.  Hutchins, 
Lewis  Hamlin, 
James  Brisbin, 
Clark  Hawley, 
William  Higgins, 
Richard  Isby,* 
Joseph  Jump, 
Sylvester  Jacobus,* 
Samuel  E.  Kidd, 
Andrew  J.  Keys, 
Franklin  Kirkham, 
N.  J.  Latimore, 
Joseph  La  Rose, 
Samuel  Malison,* 
Daniel  Morse, 
Daniel  E.  Morse, 
Michael  Mehan, 
Newton  F.  McOmber, 


Henry  Townsend,* 
Cassius  Varney,* 
Obadiah  Varney,* 
Simeon  Wait,* 
Michael  Ward, 
Frederick  Washburn, 
Henry  Washburn, 
Ira  Washburn,* 
Elbridge  Wheelock,* 
William  Wheelock, 
Ariel  Loveless, 
Richard  M.  Sprague. 


William  McNeil, 
Jeffrey  Merrill, 
Henry  Merrill, 
George  Merrill, 
John  McGinnis,* 
William  McCormic, 
Tabor  Newton, 
William  T.  Norris,* 
Henry  C.  Newton, 
Andrew  Normand, 
William  Orton, 
Albert  H.  Ott, 
Morgan  L.  Purdy, 
George  Purdy, 
Solomon  H.  Parks, 
Wallace  Parks, 
Lawrence  Palmer, 
George  H.  Putnam, 
Edward  Pearson, 
George  Ross. 
Joseph  R.  Rey, 
William  Rising, 
James  Reynolds, 
Reuben  Robinson, 
Benjamin  Robinson, 
Nathaniel  Rice. 
Charles  Sill, 
William  Sweet,* 
Milton  F.  Sweet, 
Rowland  Sherman, 
James  M.  Shurter.* 
Dudley  E.  See,* 


THOSE  WHO  FOUGHT. 


267 


George  W.  Smith, 
James  Smith, 
Reuben  Sherman,* 
Levi  Shaffer,* 
Jacob  A.  Sisson, 
George  H.  Skym, 
James  C.  Smith,* 
Ira  Scott, 
George  Sumner, 


Seneca  Ackley, 
Henry  Allen, 
James  Armstrong, 
Lewis  S.  Bailey, 
Charles  N.  Baker, 
Henry  Baker, 
Isaac  Baker, 
Stephen  F.  Baker, 
Lester  D.  Bardwell, 
William  Bartman, 
William  Beardsley, 
Charles  Bemus, 
Alfred  Bender, 
Oliver  Bennett, 
James  Benson, 
George  C.  Bentley,* 
Henry  Bentley, 
Washington  P.  Bentley, 
Andrew  Benton, 
George  Bishop, 
Silas  E.  Blowers, 
Frank  L.  Brewster, 
Charles  Brown, 
John  Brown, 
Willard  Brown, 
William  J.  Brown, 
John  T.  Bryant, 
James  H.  Burdick, 
Lewis  A.  Burdick, 
William  H.  Burdick. 


George  Scott, 
Martin  Snyder,* 
Franklin  Smith, 
George  Sleight,* 
George  Storer, 
George  C.  Tucker, 
Jesse  Thompson,* 
James  C.  Vandenburg,* 
Lyman  Vandenburg, 

Greenfield. 

Jesse  Burlingham, 
Charles  Burpee, 
Frank  Cady, 
John  Cady, 
Oscar  Cady, 
Alexander  Campbell, 
Henry  C.  Campbell, 
Albert  Carp, 
Truman  Carpenter, 
Joel  Carr,* 
Charles  Chapman, 
Morgan  H.  Chrysler,' 
Wilbur  M.  Clark, 
Robert  B.  Conde, 
John  Conklin, 
OtisConklin, 
Joseph  Conners, 
John  Connery, 
Richard  B.  Coutant, 
Zina  H.  Cowles,* 
Jeremiah  Coy, 
Zera  Coy, 
Samuel  S.  Craig,* 
Enos  Crandall,* 
Joseph  Crandall,  jr., 
Paul  D.  Crandall,* 
Commodore  P.  Curtis, 
Winslow  J.  Dake,* 
Darius  S.  Davis, 
Frederick  O.  Day, 


Elias  Washburn, 
C.  Frank  Winship, 
James  White, 
Lloyd  Weston,* 
William  H.  Yattaw, 
John  J.  Yattaw, 
Christopher  Yattaw, 
Robert  Yattaw, 
Hiram  Yattaw. 


Elijah  Dean,  jr., 
Sylvanus  T.  Densmore,' 
Dennis  Desmond, 
Edwin  B.  Deuel, 
James  C.  Deyoe, 
Andrew  J.  Dorman, 
James  Dorley,* 
Andrew  J.  Dowen,* 
Ezra  W.  Drake, 
William  H.  Drake, 
Augustus  Dunham, 
Charles  S.  Dunham, 
Holtum  Dunham, 
Thomas  Dunn, 
Stephen  Eddy, 
Henry  Elliott,* 
James  Emperor,* 
George  D.  Ferris, 
Simeon  E.  Ford,  • 

John  Gibbons, 
Andrew  W.  Gifford,* 
Allen  S.  Glenn, 
James  D.  Goodhue, 
Robert  B.  Goudie, 
Alonzo  Green, 
Davis  Green,* 
Oscar  F.  A.  Green,* 
William  Green,* 
William  W.  Green, 
Asa  L.  Gurney, 


^  Colonel  Chrysler,  who  entered  the  service  as  captain  of  Company  G,  Thirtieth  New  York 
Volunteers,  enlisting  May  7, 1861,  was  promoted  to  major  March  11, 1862,  and  to  lieutenant-colonel 
September  20, 1862.  He  was  mustered  out  with  his  regiment  June  ^,  1863,  and  soon  after  re-en- 
listed as  colonel  of  the  Second  New  York  Veteran  Cavalry.  He  was  severely  wpunded  through 
the  chest  at  Atchafalaya  Bayou,  La.,  July  28, 1864,  and  was  soon  after  brevetted  brigadier-gen- 
eral, and  was  mustered  out  of  the  United  States  service  November  26,  1865. 


268 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


George  W.  Gurney, 
George  Hagamore, 
George  Hanse, 
Clinton  Harris, 
Ezra  Harris, 
JohnS.  Harris, 
John  T.  Harris, 
Lyman  W.  Harris,* 
Mark  C.  Harris, 
Morris  Harris, 
George  W.  Hazard,* 
James  H.  Hazard, 
Hiram  Hendrick, 
James  Hendrick,* 
Herman  Hermanghans, 
John  Hill, 
John  W.  Hill,* 
Josiah  Hill, 
Seth  Hill, 
George  H.  Hodges, 
John  G.  Holsapple, 
David  A.  Hopkins, 
Nelson  Hopkins,* 
Silas  Hopkins, 
John  J.  Hindson, 
James  H.  Huested, 
Henry  J.  Hurd, 
Charles  E.  Ingerson, 
James  H.  Ireland,* 
Michael  Jennings, 
George  W.  Johnson, 
Henry  Jones, 
Henry  F.  Jones, 
John  Jones, 
Lewis  S.  Jones,* 
Oliver  Jones, 
Thomas  J.  Jones, 
William  Jones, 
Leonard  J.  Jordan, 
William  Jordan, 
John  Kelly, 
Oscar  Kemp, 
John  Kennedy, 
Edward  M.  Kerriett, 
Jonas  Kested, 
John  Killiard, 
Benedict  A.  King, 


Isaac  King, 
Herman  Laner, 
David  W.  Langdon,* 
Charles  Lee, 
Martin  Leonard, 
Henry  M.  Lewis, 
Moses  Lewis, 
Henry  L.  Lincoln, 
Sidney  D.  Lincoln,* 
Sigsmund  Lockhart, 
Zebbee  Lockwood, 
John  Louther, 
Daniel  W.  Lovell, 
Henry  Lynett, 
James  S.  Lyon, 
John  Mack, 
Nicholas  D.  MafEett, 
Frank  Mangin, 
Henry  Marcellus, 
Hiram  Marks, 
Andrew  Martin, 
Harrison  H.  Mastin, 
Henry  Mastin, 
Florence  McCarty, 
George  McCollum, 
John  McCollum, 
Melvin  McCreedy, 
George  H.  McLaughlin, 
David  McNeil,  jr.,* 
Charles  Merritt,* 
Samuel  C.  Miller, 
David  A.  Millis, 
John  Mitchell, 
Frank  Mooney, 
Frederick  A.  Morehouse, 
Charles  W.  Mosher, 
David  Mosher,* 
Eugene  Mosher, 
Hiram  Mosher, 
Lewis  Mosher, 
Michael  Mullin, 
Allen  Munroe, 
John  Nelson, 
Richard  Newman, 
John  O'Brien, 
Henry  C.  Old, 
Thomas  Olson, 


Martin  V.  B.  Ostrarider, 
Cyrus  R.  Padelford, 
James  S.  Palmer,* 
William  H.  Palmer, 
Charles  L.  Parker,* 
William  Parker, 
William  B.  Parker,* 
George  N.  Peacock, 
Andrew  J.  Peckham,* 
Abram  F.  Price,* 
James  H.  Rawling, 
Robert  S.  Remington, 
Edwin  C.  Rhodes, 
Daniel  Rose, 
Jarvis  W.  Russell, 
John  N.  Rose, 
Lester  Rose, 
Lewis  H.  Rose,* 
William  A.  Rose. 
Francis  M.  Rowland, 
Joseph  G.  Rowland, 
John  S.  St.  John, 
William  G.  Sears, 
Frank  Seeley, 
John  Seeley,* 
John  Thomas  Seeley,* 
William  J.  Seeley,* 
Cyrus  ShiflEer, 
John  H.  Shaft, 
Thomas  R.  Skinner, 
William  J.  Snyder,* 
Gilman  Spaulding, 
Arnold  Spicer, 
Thomas  Spaulding, 
Albert  Standish,* 
George  W.  Steele, 
John  Stevens, 
Alfred  Stewart, 
Norman  Stuart, 
Charles  I.  Stoddard,* 
Charles  S.  Taylor,* 
James  S.  Taylor, 
William  O.  Taylor, 
Michael  Tethers,* 
Thomas  L.  Thomas, 
Charles  A.  Thornton,* 
John  Thornton, 


THOSE  WHO  FOUGHT. 


269 


John  S.  Tinney, 
Edmund  B.  Tourtellot, 
Truman  M.  Tourtellot,* 
Charles  W.  Townsend, 
Charles  W.  Trumble, 
Mark  I.  Trumble,* 
John  Van  Antwerp, 
Charles  Van  Petten, 
Edward  Van  Rensselaer, 
Benjamin  Van  Steenburg, 
Elbert  J.  Watson,* 
George  Webb, 

Dudley  G.  Allen, 
John  Beers, 
Elijah  Bennett, 
Richard  Bills, 
Rufus  Black, 
Silas  C.  Blowers, 
Harmon  Bovencamp,* 
Henry  Bovencamp, 
Aaron  Bradt,* 
John  Bradt, 
Elnathan  Bristol, 
Peter  Butler,* 
Henry  Clute,* 
James  Colson, 
John  H.  Colson, 
John  S.  Colson, 
Byron  Daniels,* 
James  Daniels, 
Edwin  Delong, 
Lafayette  Delong, 
Andrew  Deming, 
Edgar  L.  Deming, 
John  Deming,* 
Gordon  Dimick, 
George  Dickerson, 
Joseph  Ellison,* 
Elam  F.  Evans,* 


James  N.  Webb, 
John  Webb,* 
Thomas  H.  Webb, 
James  Webster, 
George  L.  Wendell, 
Edwin  E.  West, 
Harvey  L.  Whipple, 
Henry  Whitman, 
James  H.  Wickin, 
Daniel  Williams, 
Henry  E.  Williams,* 

Day. 

Gilbert  F.  Edmond, 
Michael  Flansburgh,* 
Julian  Graves, 
Daniel  Guiles, 
Irving  W.  Guiles, 
George  Guiles, 
Rensselaer  Havens, 
Charles  Herrick, 
Thomas  Hopkins, 
Wendell  B.  Howe,* 
William  C.  Howe, 
William  A.  Hunt, 
David  Kinney, 
Jonathan  Kinney, 
Abram  R.  Lawrence,' 
Philo  Roswell  Lawrence, 
C.  F.  Marcellus, 
John  H.  Mason, 
Edward  Mattison, 
Zera  H.  Mattison, 
John  Michaels, 
Rienzi  Michaels,* 
Ambrose  Milliman, 
Cutler  Milliman, 
William  Milliman, 
John  McGuire, 
Zabin  Mills,* 


Samuel  Williams, 
William  Williams, 
William  N.  Williams, 
Charles  Willis, 
James  H.  Wilson, 
William  G.  Wing, 
Henry  C.  Wood, 
Frederick  G.  Woodward, 
William  H.  Wood, 
John  E.  Wood  worth,* 
Henry  Young. 


Abijah  Ovitt,* 
Chauncey  Palmer, 
Arunah  Perry, 
George  Pixley, 
James  Pixley, 
William  Pixley, 
Edwin  Rhodes, 
John  Ross, 
Charles  Ryther, 
William  Scott, 
Samuel  B.  Shepard, 
Dennis  Springer,* 
John  Stead,* 
Beecher  Truax, 
Henry  Truax, 
John  W.  Van  Arnum, 
John  Vanderhoof, 
Ransom  Varney, 
Solomon  Wheeler, 
Timothy  White, 
Lorin  Woodcock, 
Stephen  Woodcock, 
George  Woodworth, 
Charles  A.  Yates, 
Edgar  F.  Yates, 
William  H.  Zenstine. 


William  Brown, 
Edward  Bobenreath, 


Wilton. 

Andrew  Brisbin, 
Lorin  Brisbin, 


John  R.  Burnham, 
William  Baker, 


■Also  served  in  the  Florida  war  and  the  Mexican  war. 


270 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


John  Brainard, 
Richard  Brewer, 
Claudius  Baker, 
John  Carr, 
Noah  B.  Clark, 
George  Carr,* 
James  Cannon, 
Seth  W.  Deyoe, 
James  G.  Deuel, 
William  Dorvee, 
Michael  Dowling, 
Henry  Deyoe,* 

Delong, 

Alfred  Dran, 
John  Deyoe, 
Peter  A.  Deyoe, 
William  H.  Deyoe,* 
Mynard  C.  Deyoe, 
Lewis  Deyoe, 
James  Ellison, 
Winsor  B.  French, 
Charles  H.  Fodow, 
Walton  French, 
Luke  Folmsbee, 
Walter  Freeman, 
Dorson  Falloon, 
Thomas  Farrell, 
Henry  N.  Gilbert, 
Jesse  Gower, 
George  Green, 


Albert  Gruber, 
Edgar  Hain, 
Alonzo  J.  Hubble,* 
John  J.  Hudson, 
Isaac  S.  Hodges, 
Miles  Hudson, 
Otis  T.  Hall, 
Charles  Holden, 
Solomon  Holden,* 
William  Harvey, 
Aaron  Irish, 
Aftus  H.  Jewell, 
Sidney  B.  King, 
George  Lawson,* 
Edwin  A.  Lockwood, 
Antoine  Lapoint, 
Alexander  Lamara, 
Henry  Laroy, 
Edwin  McPherson, 
Henry  M.  Myers, 
Charles  Munn, 
Hanford  Myres, 
Cornelius  Myres, 
David  McNeil, 
Ira  McNeil, 
William  Miller,* 
John  McGovern, 
Joseph  Martin, 
Stephen  Nisbeth,* 
William  E.  Newton, 


John  S.  Nobles, 
Robert  Price, 
Frederick  N.  Perkins,* 
Harmon  E.  Perry, 
Robert  Pryor, 
John  Powers, 
Arthur  Perry, 
Harlaem  E.  Potter, 
Gardner  Perry, 
James  A.  Padelford, 
Harvey  A.  Reed, 
John  H.  Reynolds, 
Charles  H.  Ruggles,* 
John  H.  Rose, 
Warren  L.  Smith,* 
Alfred  M.  See,'* 
Daniel  Steenburgh, 
Isaac  W.  Souls, 
Peter  Schermerhorn, 
Hiram  Tyrell,* 
William  Taylor,  jr.,* 
George  Van  Antwerp,* 
Stephen  O.  Viele,* 
Lewis  T.  Vanderwerker, 
George  H.  Wildey, 
Richard  B.  Wood, 
Lloyd  Weston, 
Henry  Weatherwax, 
Elias  Washburn, 
Eugene  M.  Warner. 


Samuel  Allen, 
John  Anderson, 
Peter  Butler, 
Jeremiah  Baldry, 
Joseph  P.  Bowers, 
Samuel  S.  Butler, 
William  Butler, 
Anthony  S.  Badgely, 
Martin  V.  B.  Billings, 
David  Borst, 
David  Barker, 
John  Barker, 
Henry  Clark, 
John  Cudahy, 


Clifton   Park. 

Abram  Clark, 
Albert  Carnall, 
Van  Rensselaer  Conklin, 
Ransom  Conklin, 
Levi  Clapper, 
Sidney  T.  Cornell, 
George  W.  Cornell,* 
Jacob  H.  Clute,  jr. , 
Charles  H.  De  Graff, 
Robert  De  Graff, 
George  Davis, 
Levi  De  Graff, 
Edward  H.  Dater,* 
David  H.  Dater, 


William  H.  Evarts, 
Edward  Evans, 
William  Filkins, 
John  Fisher, 
Peter  Friel, 
George  Gregory, 
Wesley  Heyner, 
James  Haley, 
Thomas  R.  Holland, 
William  H.  Haylock, 
James  Johnson, 
Albert  Jofles, 
John  Jones, 
Lyman  Johns, 


THOSE  WHO  FOUGHT. 


271 


Christian  C.  Kellogg, 
John  Kelley, 
John  H.  Lapius, 
Michael  Lamey, 
Andrew  S.  McEchron, 
Christopher  Mulligan, 
Robert  McPherson, 
Matthew  Mulligan, 
John  Mulligan, 


Benjamin  Northrup, 
Henry  C.  Peterson, 
William  D.  Peterson, 
James  Roach, 
Reuben  Stokam, 
Lewis  Shouts, 
Peter  B.  Simmons, 
John  Simmons, 
William  Van  Saulsbury, 


Orlando  Swartwout, 
William  H.  Shouts, 
Andrew  Stewart, 
Jeremiah  Stebbins, 
William  Taylor, 
William  D.  Town, 
Christian  Walker, 
Alexander  H.  Wicks. 


James  Allen,  * 
Joseph  Armer, 
James  F.  Austin, 
Eli  Bailey, 
John  G.  Baker, 
James  C.  Barber, 
David  S.  Barker, 
Ira  J.  Barker, 
William  W.  Barton, 
Wilson  Barton,* 
Arnold  Bates, 
Austin  Bates, 
Charles  H.  Bates, 
Dennis  Bates, 
George  Beeman, 
James  H.  Bell, 
James  C.  Benson, 
Asa  C.  Bentley,  jr. , 
George  H.  Bentley, 
Gilbert  Bentley, 
Hector  Bentley, 
John  H.  Bentley, 
Joseph  J.  Bentley, 
Nathaniel  S.  Bentley, 
William  A.  Bentley, 
Charles  Betts, 
Francis  C.  Betts, 
Wilhelm  Bink, ' 
Charles  A.  Briggs,* 
Noah  D.  Bronson,* 
Eli  Brooks, 
James  B.  Brooks,* 
Uriah  C.  Buck, 
Norris  Burfit, 
John  Burns, 


-  Providence. 

Nelson  W.  Cad  man,* 
Seth  Cadman, 
William  B.  Carpenter,* 
John  W.  Clark,* 
Henry  Clunis, 
John  M.  Clute, 
Simon  Cohen, 
Arnold  Cole, 
Charles  Cole,* 
James  W.  Cole, 
William  Cole,* 
William  B.  Collins, 
Charles  Colony,* 
James  S.  Colony,* 
George  Colony,* 
Edward  J.,  Colony,* 
John  H.  Cook, 
Thomas  Cooper, 
William  H.  Cornell,* 
John  Costello, 
Michael  Costello, 
Thomas  Cunning, 
John  L.  Dalton, 
Robert  Dawson, 
Charles  E.  Duel, 
Thomas  Donahue, 
Edward  Dumphrey, 
Mason  Delano,* 
Waldron  G.  Evans, 
William  George  Evans, 
William  W.  Finch, 
John  Flanagan, 
Timothy  Foley, 
William  M.  Fowler, 
James  French, 


Henry  Frey, 
Levi  Garwood, 
Edward  H.  Gates, 
Elbridge  Gates,* 
Hiram  Gifford,* 
Russell  W.  H.  Gifford, 
Irving  Gre^en,* 
Chauncey  Hagadorn, 
H.  Seymour  Hall, 
Michael  Harrigan, 
Benjamin  E.  Harrison, 
Edward  Hayes, 
Alfred  Hickok, 
Ferdinand  Hoffman, 
John  Holland, 
Joseph  W.  Honeywell,* 
James  H.  Jeffords,* 
Orville  F.  Jeffords,* 
Samuel  King, 
Edward  Laporte, 
Peter  Lasher,* 
Addison  Like, 
Stephen  Marihew,* 
Thomas  McCormick, 
Terence  McGovern, 
Thomas  McGovern, 
James  McMahon, 
Michael  McWiUiams,* 
Philip  Mead, 
Michael  Miller, 
Thomas  Mina, 
A.  N.  Morgan, 
J.  Morgan, 
Ephraim  D.  Mosher, 
Lewis  Mundell, 


273 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


John  Nadew, 
Elijah  Olmstead,* 
Jacob  H.  Olmstead, 
Edward  Orry, 
George  Packer, 
Richard  Parker, 
William  W.  Pease, 
Benjamin  Perry,* 
John  A.  Pettit, 
William  A.  Pulling, 
William  Reed, 
Larry  C.  Rice, 


Edmund  Ricketson,* 
Joseph  H.  Rogers, 
Robert  Russell, 
George  S.  Schermerhorn,* 
Daniel  C.  Sherman,* 
Jethro  P.  Sherman, 
Philo  D.  Sherman, 
Solomon  Sherman, 
William  H.  Sism, ' 
Alonzo  P.  Slocum, 
James  A.  Slocum, 


Peter  Smith, 
William  W.  Smith, 
David  Sowl,  jr., 
Francis  Sowl, 
John  Sparks, 
Henry  H.  Tabor, 
P.  D.  Thompson, 
Alonzo  P.  Van  Epps, 
Levi  Whistler, 
William  J.  Woolsey,* 
Daniel  Wylie. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


The  Latter  Years  of  the  County's  History,  and  the  Causes  of  Its  Prosperity  Since 
the  Days  of  the  Civil  War— The  Development  of  the  Older  Industries  and  the 
Establishment  of  New  Ones— The  Manufacturing  Centres— New  Churches— Growth 
of  the  Educational  System— Newspapers,  Past  and  Present — Financial  Institutions 
-^Some  of  the  Leading  Public  Institutions— Clubs,  Societies,  etc. — Centennial  Cele- 
brations of  1876  and  1877— Anniversaries  of  the  Battle  of  Bemus  Heights  and  the 
Surrender  of  General  Burgoyne — The  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Monument  at  Ballston 
Spa — Death  of  General  U.  S.  Grant — Other  Happenings  of  Interest. 

To  write  anything  more  than  a  brief  outline  of  the  development  of 
the  various  industries  of  the  county  of  Saratoga  since  the  period  of  the 
Civil  war,  with  the  many  and  varied  changes  in  its  large  number  of  in- 
stitutiojis — educational,  religious,  eleemosynary,  philanthropic,  com- 
mercial— would  require  a  vast  amount  of  space  and  many  years  of  hard 
labor  in  its  compilation  and  publication.  It  is  doubtful  if  the  public 
interest  in  such  an  undertaking  would  be  sufficient  to  warrant  the  un- 
dertaking. In  the  succeeding  pages  we  shall  endeavor  to  trace,  in  out- 
line, the  history  of  the  county  as  a  whole,  illustrating  its  growth  along, 
the  lines  and  omitting,  as  far  as  possible,  the  minor  details  of  an  unes- 
sential character.  Of  the  numerous  manufacturing  industries  of  the 
various  communities  of  the  county,  brief  historical  sketches  of  the  most 
important  appear.  No  effort  has  been  made  to  go  into  details  regard- 
ing all  the  industrial  enterprises  of  the  county,  the  aim  of  the  author 
being  simply  to  preserve,  for  future  generations,  such  data  as  will  best 
serve  to  illustrate  the  building  which  has  been  erected  on  the  founda- 


E(D)Ki(SE  WEgTc 


1861-1898— MANUFACTURES.  273 

tion  laid  by  the  forefathers — not  to  inspect  every  timber  which  has 
entered  into  the  industrial,  educational,  social  and  political  fabric  of 
which  it  is  composed,  but  to  paint,  in  epitome,  the  various  steps  taken 
toward  the  upbuilding  of  the  still  unfinished  structure. 

The  beginning  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  the  most  awful  civil  war 
in  the  history  of  modern  nations,  found  the  county  of  Saratoga  mak- 
ing rapid  strides  in  all  directions.  New  manufactures  were  springing  up 
everywhere.  Capital  was  being  invested  with  lavish  hands  in  a  score 
or  more  of  communities  in  all  sections  of  the  county.  The  water 
power  on  the  Hudson  was  being  still  more  carefully  harnessed  for  the 
service  of  mankind  ;  the  agrarian  communities — which  ever  have  dom- 
inated the  county — were  beginning  to  realize,  more  than  ever,  the 
value  of  improved  transportation  facilities,  growing  markets  and  good 
prices  ;  the  summer  resorts  in  the  county  were  reaping  splendid  har- 
vests, and  many  other  things  were  contributing  to  add  to  the  wealth 
and  general  prosperity.  But  the  existence  of  a  fierce  internal  war  was 
most  disheartening,  and  all  industry  suffered  a  severe  check.  The  up- 
building of  most  of  the  enterprises  which  have  made  the  county 
famous  in  modern  years  has  occurred  since  the  war,  with  the  single  ex- 
ception of  the  paper  manufacturing  industry;  and  even  in  this  de- 
partment it  was  not  until  some  time  after  the  close  of  the  war  that 
great  industrial  strides  were  made,  with  a  single  exception,  which  is 
noted  later  on. 

MANUFACTURES. 

The  industrial  centres  of  Saratoga  county  are  Ballston  Spa,  Mechan- 
icville  and  Stillwater,  Waterford,  Schuylerville,  Saratoga,  and  South 
Glens  Falls.  For  many  years  one  of  the  principal  industries  of  the 
county  has  been  the  manufacture  of  paper.  Until  recent  years  the 
various  mills  in  the  county  manufactured  the  coarser  grades  of  paper, 
such  as  manilla  and  news  paper;  but  in  recent  years  the  finer  grades 
of  writing  paper  have  also  been  turned  out  in  immense  quantities. 
Probably  no  community  of  equal  size  or  population  in  the  country  is 
so  widely  noted  for  paper  manufacture  as  Saratoga  county  and  the 
section  adjoining  it  to  the  north  and  northeast.  Hon.  George  West  of 
Ballston  Spa  is  at  the  head  of  a  concern  which  in  itself  owns  and  oper- 
ates eleven  mills,  which  are  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Kayaderos- 
seras  creek. 

Mr.  West  came  to  Ballston  Spa  in  1861.     Having  learned  the  best 

18 


274  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

processes  for  the  manufacture  of  paper,  he  entered  the  employ  of  C.  S. 
Buchanan,  proprietor  of  the  paper  mills  at  Rock  City  Falls.  A  year 
later,  in  June,  1862,  with  a  capital  of  only  about  $3,000,  he  purchased 
the  Empire  paper  mills  at  Rock  City  Falls.  From  the  start  his  success 
was  pronounced,  for  the  paper  he  made  was  of  a  very  superior  quality 
and  the  demand  for  it  was  heavy.  Soon  he  was  compelled  to  increase 
his  facilities.  In  1866  he  built  the  Excelsior  mills  and  dam  at  Rock 
City  Falls,  and  about  the  same  time  became  a  partner  in  the  purchase 
of  the  Angell  paper  mills  at  Waterford.  In  1870  he  retired  from  the 
management  of  these  mills  in  order  to  devote  his  entire  attention  to  his 
properties  in  Saratoga  county.  The  same  year  he  bought  the  mills  at 
or  near  Middle  Grove,  rebuilt  them,  and  at  once  purchased  the  Pioneer 
mill  at  West  Milton.  But  so  rapid  was  the  increase  in  the  demand  for 
his  paper  that  in  1874  he  found  it  expedient  to  purchase  the  Eagle  mill, 
located  two  miles  above  Ballston  Spa.  The  following  year  he  bought 
the  Island  mill  in  Ballston  Spa,  formerly  owned  and  operated  by  Jonas 
A.  Hovey  as  a  cotton  mill.  These  three  buildings  were  immediately 
converted  into  a  paper  mill.  About  the  same  time  he  purchased  the 
cotton  mill  known  as  the  Union  mill  and  the  woolen  mill  near  it,  both 
of  which  were  soon  devoted  to  the  manufacture  of  paper,  paper  bags 
being  manufactured  in  the  old  woolen  mill.  For  many  years  Mr.  West 
manufactured  manilla  paper  exclusively.  All  his  mills  are  located  on 
the  banks  of  the  Kayaderosseras  creek.  He  is  reputed  to  be  the  heavi- 
est individual  paper  manufacturer  in  the  United  States. 

The  tannery  of  Haight  &  Co.  at  Ballston  Spa  is  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant industries  of  Saratoga  county  and  one  of  the  largest  tanneries 
in  the  country.  This  industry  was  established  at  Milton  Centre  about 
1830  by  Seth  Rugg.  It  was  subsequently  owned  by  Mr.  Morey,  then 
by  Jacob  Adams,  who  sold  it  to  Samuel  Haight.  Mr.  Haight  greatly 
increased  the  business  and  in  1883  moved  it  to  its  present  location  in 
the  village  of  Ballston  Spa.  For  several  years  Matthew  Vassar  was  in 
partnership  with  Mr.  Haight,  up  to  the  time  of  the  death  of  the  latter, 
October  6,  1891.  The  firm  is  now  composed  of  Matthew  Vassar,  H. 
Vassar  Haight  and  Theodore  S.  Haight,  the  two  latter  being  the  sons 
of  the  late  Samuel  Haight.  The  tannery  operated  by  them  employs 
about  300  men,  and  contributes  immensely  to  the  prosperity  of  the 
community. 

The  National  mill  at  Ballston  Spa,  which  manufactures  manilla  box 
board,  and  produces  about  nine  and  a  quarter  tons  per  day,  was  pur- 


1861-1898— MANUFACTURES.  275 

chased  in  the  spring  of  1892  by  the  National  Folding  Box  and  Paper 
company  of  Hartford,  Conn.  Many  improvements  have  been  made 
since  that  time,  including  a  new  dam  constructed  in  1895  at  a  cost  of 
$8,000.  The  mill  was  formerly  known  as  the  Idlewild  mill  It  was  at 
first  owned  and  operated  by  John  McLean,  then  by  John  McLean  and 
Harvey  J.  Donaldson,  and  later  by  Mr.  Donaldson  and  Harvey  M. 
Gear. 

While  Mr.  West  was  investing  so  heavily  in  paper  mills  others  were 
establishing  paper  mills  and  other  industries  in  various  parts  of  the 
county,  though  on  a  smaller  scale.  In  1865  Thomas  Brown,  of  Niagara 
Falls,  who  six  years  before  had  purchased  the  old  woolen  mills  at  Cor- 
inth, and  established  an  edge-tool  factory,  built  a  large  woolen  mill 
there,  which  began  operations  in  1866.  This  mill  was  run  by  him  for 
over  three  years.  On  the  evening  of  November  7,  1869,  Mr.  Brown 
was  mistaken  for  a  burglar  or  incendiary  by  his  night  watchman, 
while  coming  from  his  mill,  and  shot,  his  death  occurring  a  few 
moments  later.  The  factory  was  burned  in  1870,  but  was  soon  rebuilt 
a  short  distance  south  of  the  original  site.  Until  1874  it  was  operated 
as  a  woolen  mill,  but  in  the  latter  year  it  was  purchased  by  the  Hudson 
River  Pulp  and  Paper  company  and  used  by  that  concern  for  a  store- 
house. 

The  latter  corporation  began  operations  in  a  large  new  mill  Septem- 
ber 1,  1869,  at  first  manufacturing  wood  pulp.  The  year  following  it 
bought  the  old  edge-tool  factory  and  began  in  it  the  manufacture  of 
printing  paper.  In  1873,  the  demand  for  its  product  increasing,  a  new 
mill  for  the  manufacture  of  the  finer  qualities  of  printing  paper  was 
erected,  and  began  running  in  May,  1873.  In  April,  1877,  the  large 
mill  was  burned  by  spontaneous  combustion,  but  soon  after  rebuilt. 

The  tannery  at  Corinth  built  in  1855  by  Powell  &  Co.  was  burned  in 
August,  1874,  but  was  immediately  rebuilt  by  Rugg  &  Co.  of  Schnec- 
lady.  About  1875  Morgan  L.  Prentiss  began  the  manufacture  of  bolts 
and  nuts  and  other  carriage  iron  in  the  building  which  originally  was 
built  by  Washington  Chapman,  in  1805,  for  a  woolen  factory. 

At  South  Glens  Falls  the  Morgan  Lumber  company  operated  four 
large  lumber  mills  as  early  as  twenty  years  ago.  In  connection  with 
this  industry  this  corporation  also  began,  about  the  same  time,  the 
operation  of  a  planing  mill  and  a  box  factory.  The  Glens  Falls  Paper 
company,  which  began  business  at  this  point  neary  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury since,  has  become  one  of  the  most  extensive  manufacturers  of 


276  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

paper  in  the  country.  In  1872  Reynolds,  Dix  &  Co.  began  working  a 
large  marble  and  stone  quarry,  sending  the  surplus  limestone  to  lime 
kilns.  Stone  works  had  been  established  there  as  early  as  1836  by 
Julius  H.  Rice. 

In  1863  Henry  Poor  &  Son  of  Boston  purchased  the  Lynwood  tan- 
nery at  Conklingville,  which  was  established  in  1848  by  Gurdon  Conk- 
ling.  The  new  proprietors,  possessed  of  abundant  capital,  made 
numerous  improvements  and  increased  the  facilities  of  the  tannery 
until  it  became  an  enterprise  of  considerable  importance.  In  1872 
James  L.  Libby  of  New  York  established  a  paper-box  factory  at  Conk 
lingville,  employing  from  seventy  to  eighty  hands.  The  wooden-ware 
works  in  this  village,  operated  for  many  years  by  Benjamin  R.  Jen- 
kins, formerly  of  Batchellerville,  who  died  in  1877,  were  established 
soon  after  the  war,  and  from  time  to  time  their  capacity  was  increased 
until,  in  recent  years,  they  have  become  a  mammoth  enterprise,  em- 
ploying more  than  a  hundred  hands. 

Lewis  E.  Smith  of  Mechanicville  for  many  years  had  charge  of  the 
works  of  the  American  Linen  Thread  company  of  that  village,  begin- 
ning with  1853.  The  company  manufactured  all  kinds  of  sewing  and 
machine  threads,  and  employed  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two 
hundred  hands. 

Mechanicville's  manufactures  are  mostly  of  modern  growth.  The 
immense  plant  of  the  Duncan  company,  established  in  1888,  located  on 
the  banks  of  the  Hudson  river,  just  north  of  the  village,  in  the  town  of 
Stillwater,  is  one  of  the  most  important  industries  of  its  kind  in  the 
country.  It  owns  besides  'its  mammoth  mill,  a  large  and  finely  con- 
structed dam  in  the  Hudson,  which  furnishes  most  of  its  power. 

South  of  the  village  is  located  the  extensive  power  house  of  the  Hud- 
son Power  and  Transmission  company,  incorporated  in  1896.  This 
plant,  including  a  fine  dam  across  the  Hudson,  was  completed  in  1898. 
The  building  is  supplied  with  generators,  operated  by  water  power, 
which  develop  electricity  and  transmit  it  by  means  of  many  wires  to 
the  works  of  the  General  Electric  company  at  Schenectady. 

Among  the  other  manufacturing  concerns  in  Mechanicville,  many  of 
which  have  been  established  within  the  last  decade,  are  the  knitting 
mills  of  W.  B.  Neilson,  Mechanicville  Knitting  company.  Sagamore 
Knitting  company;  the  shoddy  mill  of  Cunningham  Bros.  &  Whitbeck; 
the  sash,  door  and  blind  mills  of  Barnes  &  La  Dow  and  J.  B.  Orcutt  & 
Son;  the  plant  of  the  Fiberite  company;  the  Mechanicville  brewery; 
John  Smith's  machine  shop,  and  the  foundry  of  Longstaff  &  Son. 


BENJAMIN  R.  JENKINS. 


1861-18!)8— MANUFACTURES.  277 

The  G.  F.  Harvey  company,  naanufacturing  chemists,  of  Saratoga 
Springs,  though  of  modern  establishment,  has  risen  to  a  position  of 
great  prominence  in  the  business  v/orld.  This  company  was  incorpo- 
rared  May  13,  1890,  by  George  F.  Harvey,  S.  A.  Rickard  and  Edgar 
T.  Brackett,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $^00,000.  The  stock  was  increased 
to  $850,000  April  4,  1895,  and  upon  its  increased  valuation  the  com- 
pany has  paid  an  annual  dividend  of  five  per  cent,  each  year.  The 
present  officers  of  the  company  are:  S.  A.  Rickard,  president;  L.  H. 
Cramer,  vice-president  and  treasurer;  James  Mingay,  secretary;  E.  T. 
Brackett,  attorney.  The  business  of  the  company  extends  over  the 
entire  United  States,  including  the  manufacturing  branch  at  Mille 
Roches,  Ont.  It  has  sixty-six  salesmen  constantly  traveling,  who  make 
daily  reports  to  the  head  office  at  Saratoga  Springs,  or  those  who  travel 
in  the  Canadas  to  the  branch  house  at  Mille  Roches.  The  company 
employs  over  one  hundred  hands  at  its  factory,  and  as  its  entire  busi- 
ness is  conducted  with  customers  out  of  town,  all  the  money  paid  for 
help  every  Saturday  (which  amounts  to  nearly  $1,000)  is  from  funds 
brought  in  from  outside.  The  company  has  over  thirty  thousand  cus- 
tomers upon  its  books  and  its  business  is  constantly  increasing.  It  is 
the  intention,  within  a  very  short  time,  to  establish  a  western  depot, 
not  for  the  purpose  of  manufacturing,  but  for  distributing  goods  to  cus- 
tomers remote  from  the  home  office. 

Stillwater's  manufactures  have  made  the  place  noted.  The  paper 
mill  established  in  1847,  which  has  been  referred  to  in  a  preceding 
chapter,  was  the  first  extensive  industry  at  that  point.  It  had  not  been 
in  operation  long  before  the  splendid  facilities  at  that  point  were  no- 
ticed by  capitalists  and  manufacturers  elsewhere.  About  1863  Gardner 
Howland  &  Sons  built  a  large  paper  mill  opposite  Baker's  lock.  This 
was  burned,  but  at  once  rebuilt,  and  the  business  continued  on  a  larger 
scale  than  ever.  In  1866  D.  &  W.  Penible  established  the  straw-board 
mill  there.  In  1873  Newland  &  Dennison  established  a  mill  for  the 
manufacture  of  knit  underwear,  and  Ephraim  Newland  in  the  same 
year  built  a  mill  for  the  manufacture  of  hosiery  and  underwear.  The 
water  power  in  the  Hudson  at  this  point  is  utilized  by  nearly  all  the 
manufacturers  in  town,  and  is  capable  of  still  greater  development. 

Waterford  had  become  an  important  manufacturing  centre  long  be- 
fore the  war.  Numerous  changes  have  been  made  since  that  time, 
however.  In  1864  Levi  Dodge  purchased  the  feed  mill  formerly  owned 
by  Henry  Lape  and  converted  it  into  a  straw-board  factory.     This 


278  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

building,  probably  the  oldest  on  the  hydraulic  canal,  was  originally 
used  as  a  button  factory,  then  as  a  barley  mill,  then  a  feed  mill,  and 
finally  a  card-board  mill.  The  old  mill  was  burned  and  a  new  one  was 
erected  in  1874,  passing  into  the  hands  of  the  Saratoga  County  bank  of 
Waterford,  and  being  operated  by  Edwards  &  Younglove.  In  1864  E. 
Van  Kleeck  began  the  manufacture  of  brushes,  but  the  business  was 
removed  to  Lansingburgh  a  few  years  later.  In  1870  Holroyd,  Safely 
&  Dowd  remodeled  the  old  flouring  mill  of  T.  M.  Vail  &  Sons  and  con- 
verted it  into  the  Alaska  knitting  mill.  In  1877  it  passed  into  the  con- 
trol of  the  Hudson  Valley  Knitting  company.  The  Massasoit  Knitting 
mills  were  erected  in  1872  on  the  foundation  of  the  old  Shatemuck 
flouring  mills,  and  were  placed  under  the  management  of  E.  G.  Mun- 
son.  The  Mohawk  &  Hudson  paper  mill  was  established  in  1873  by  a 
stock  company,  but  soon  afterward  was  sold  to  Frank  Gilbert  of  Troy, 
who  still  operates  it,  turning  out  large  quantities  of  printing  paper. 
The  Waterford  sawing  mills,  established  in  Cohoes  in  1835,  were  re- 
moved to  Waterford  in  1873,  when  the  plant  was  greatly  increased  in 
size.  The  Globe  iron  foundry  was  established  in  1873  by  Robert  Pink- 
erton  in  a  building  formerly  occupied  by  the  Button  Fire  Engine  com- 
pany. The  Pilot  knitting  mill  was  started  in  1875  by  Van  Schoonhoven 
&  Co. 

The  Eureka  knitting  mills  were  established  in  1881  by  John  W.  Ford 
and  John  H.  Pynes,  the  latter  succeeding  to  the  sole  control  in  1891. 
The  manufacturing  facilities  are  comprised  in  a  three-story  brick  build- 
ing, covering  an  area  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  square. 

The  Waterford  Knitting  company  was  incorporated  in  1885  with  a 
capital  stock  of  $50,000.  The  oflScers  are:  President  and  treasurer, 
Thomas  Breslin;  vice-president,  Charles  L.  Mitchell;  secretary,  C.  C. 
Ormsby;  superintendent,  Michael  Organ.  The  mill  is  a  four  story 
brick  building  eighty  by  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  dimensions. 

The  Bishopton  knitting  mill  was  established  in  1886.  It  is  owned  by 
L.  Kavanaugh  and  managed  by  C.  H.  Kavanaugh. 

The  Kavanaugh  Knitting  company's  mill  was  erected  in  1891.  It  is 
a  handsome  three-story  brick  structure,  having  a  large  square  tower  on 
the  front  elevation. 

The  paper-box  manufactory  of  Sidney  D.  Sault  was  established  in 
1892  at  Cohoes  but  soon  afterward  removed  to  Waterford,  where  the 
proprietor  now  has  a  finely  equipped  plant. 

The  Clyde  Knitting  company  is  the  successor  to  the  Meeker,  Spotten 


1861-1898— MANUFACTURES.  279 

&  Meeker  compaay,  which  was  organized  in  1892  with  John  H.  Meeker 
as  president  and  James  H.  Spotten  as  treasurer.     This  concern  failed  in 

1896,  and  in  November  of  that  year  the  mill  was  sold  to  the-  Clyde 
Knitting  company,. which  occupies  the  same  building.  The  latter  com- 
pany is  officered  as  follows:  President,  Thomas  Breslin;  vice-president, 
Samuel  Bolton,  jr.;  secretary,  James  H.  Shine;  treasurer,  John  H. 
Pynes. 

The  Clover  Knitting  company  is  the  successor  to  the  Hudson  Valley 
Knitting  company.     The  latter  company  failed,  and  in  the  summer  of 

1897,  after  the  mill  had  been  idle  for  about  a  year  and  a  half,  the  Clover 
Knitting  company  began  operating  it.  The  officers  of  the  latter  com- 
pany are :  President,  Peter  McCarthy ;  vice  president,  Thomas  Breslin ; 
treasurer,  John  H.  Pynes;  secretary,  Robert  E.  Stover;  superintendent, 
G.  M.  Langner. 

The  Ormsby  Textile  company  was  incorporated  in  1893  and  began 
operations  in  1895  in  a  large  new  mill  located  on  King's  canal.  This 
mill  is  a  four-story  and  attic  building,  constructed  on  the  slow-burning 
principle.  The  officers  of  the  company  are :  President,  Thomas  Bres- 
lin; vice-president,  Charles  L.  Mitchell;  secretary,  Michael  Organ; 
treasurer,  Charles  C.  Ormsby. 

The  plant  of  the  Eddy  Valve  company  comprises  a  group  of  sub- 
stantial brick  buildings,  and  its  products  comprise  a  general  line  of 
valves  from  half  an  inch  to  56  inches  in  diameter.  In  addition  to  the 
company's  own  plant  its  management  also  controls  the  operations  of 
the  Mohawk  &  Hudson  Manufacturing  company  of  Waterford,  iron  and 
and  brass  founders.  The  officers  of  the  company  are:  President, 
John  Kinckerbacker;  vice-president,  H.  C.  Rogers;  treasurer,  T.  A. 
Knickerbacker. 

Schuylerville  has  also  been,  for  many  years,  one  of  the  leading  in- 
dustrial centres  of  Saratoga  county.  Its  early  enterprises  have  been 
referred  to  in  the  preceding  pages.  One  of  the  many  resources  from 
which  the  village  derives  a  benefit  is  the  paper  mill.  This  industry 
was  established  in  1863-1864  by  D.  A.  Bullard  &  Co.  as  the  "  Schuyler 
paper  mill."  In  1870  Mr.  Bullard  purchased  the  interests  held  by  his 
partners  and  introduced  his  sons  into  the  business. 

From  time  to  time  during  this  period  industries  of  various  kinds  were 
established  at  other  points  in  the  county,  but  those  mentioned  were  the 
most  important.  While  the  commercial  interests  of  the  community 
were  being  cared  for,  the  inhabitants  were  not  unmindful  of  the  men- 


280  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

tal  and  spiritual  welfare  of  the  rising  generation,  as  is  illustrated  by 
the  increase  in  the  number  of  religious  institutions,  the  establishment 
of  new  schools  and  the  great  improvement  of  the  old  ones. 

CHURCHES. 

Several  new  churches  were  organized  during  this  period  in  Saratoga 
Springs.  March  8,  1865,  witnessed  the  founding  of  the  First  Congre- 
gational church  at  Saratoga  Springs.  Rev.  E.  N.  Sawtelle,  D.  D. ,  the 
first  pastor  of  the  church,  was  installed  in  April,  1865.  The  church 
edifice  was  not  erected  until  1868.  Nearly  all  the  original  members 
were  from  the  First  Presbyterian  church,  and  the  first  trustees  of  the 
new  society  were  Dexter  H.  Knowlton,  Lewis  E.  Whiting,  Waldo  M. 
Potter,  Solon  B.  Bushnell,  Hiram  P.  Trim,  Abisha  Bailey,  Jacob  Myers, 
Andrew  Hall  and  Joseph  A.  Shoudy. 

In  1869  a  number  of  members  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  who 
resided  at  an  inconvenient  distance  from  their  house  of  worship  formed 
a  new  society,  which  subsequently  became  the  Second  Presbyterian 
church.  August  31  of  that  year  the  corner  stone  of  their  chapel  was 
laid  by  Rev.  Dr.  John  Woodbridge,  then  pastor  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian church,  and  the  edifice  was  dedicated  by  him  January  30,  1870. 
Rev.  James  N.  Crocker  was  at  first  placed  in  charge  of  the  mission 
work.  The  church  was  not  regularly  organized  until  August,  1871, 
when  John  Newland,  B.  M.  Fay  and  B.  F.  Edwards  were  installed  as 
elders.  August  28  Charles  F.  Dowd,  George  S.  Batcheller,  John  New- 
land,  Adam  B.  Smith,  Alexander  Bennett  and  Samuel  H.  Freeman 
were  elected  trustees.  The  church  was  received  under  the  care  of 
the  Albany  Presbytery  October  10,  and  October  22  Rev.  James  N. 
Crocker  was  instetlled  as  the  first  pastor. 

The  First  Free  Methodist  church  was  organized  October  2,  1865 ;  the 
house  of  worship  was  built  in  1869,  and  dedicated  January  8,  1870,  by 
Rev.  B.  T.  Robert.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  A.  B.  Burdick,  and  the 
first  trustees  F.  A.  Town,  Seneca  Weed  and  Seth  Grawberg.' 

The  African  M.  E.  Zion  church  was  organized  in  June,  1863,  by  Rev. 
J.  Boler,  who,  with  A.  Freeman  and  J.  Lewis,  constituted  the  first  board 
of  trustees.  The  house  of  worship  was  dedicated  in  1863  by  Bishop 
William  H.  Bishop.     In  November,  1866,  the  building  was  destroyed 

'  The  pastors  are  as  follows :  Revs.  A.  B.  Burdick,  D.  M.  Sinclair,  William  Gould,  James 
Odell,  Harry  Mathews,  B.  Winget,  James  Odell,  O.  W.  Young,  W.  H.  CUrk,  Almiron  Smith, 
Zenas  Osborne,  M.  D.  McDougall,  H.  W.  Fish,  A.  B.  Burdick,  D.  C.  Johnson,  M.  N.  Downing,  W. 
H.  Clark. 


1861-1898— CHURCHES.  281 

by  fire,  but  was  rebuilt  the  following  year  and  dedicated  by  Bishop  J. 
J.  Clinton. 

The  Second  Baptist  church  was  organized  as  the  Union  Avenue  Bap- 
tist Sunday  school  by  members  of  the  First  Baptist  church,  February 

7,  1874,  after  services  had  been  held  in  various  places  for  nine  months. 
February  22, 1876,  the  society  was  duly  organized  as  the  Second  Baptist 
church.  Rev.  Daniel  Corey,  the  first  pastor,  began  his  labors  in  April 
following. 

The  New  England  Congregational  church  of  Saratoga  Springs  was 
organized  March  1,  1880.  The  main  part  of  the  present  house  of  wor- 
ship was  erected  that  year,  and  the  chapel  in  1881.  Rev.  Thomas  W. 
Jones  served  as  pastor  from  1880  to  1888;  Rev.  Clarence  F.  Swift  from 
1888  to  1896;  and  the  present  pastor.  Rev.  William  Orr  Wark,  began 
his  labors  in  January,  1895. 

The  Congregational  Methodist  church  of  Saratoga  Springs  was  or- 
ganized September  30,  1896.     The  church  edifice  was  commenced  April 

8,  1897,  and  dedicated  August  15,  1897.  Its  cost,  including  the  lot, 
was  $8,700.  Rev.  L.  C.  Pettit  has  been  the  pastor  since  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  society. 

All  the  churches  at  Ballston  Spa  were  erected  before  the  war.  In 
1876  a  number  of  Spiritualists  of  that  village  erected  Centennial  hall, 
which  for  several  years  was  devoted  to  services  of  that  sect,  but  in 
recent  years  the  building  has  been  devoted  to  various  purposes. 

The  only  church  organized  in  the  town  of  Halfmoon  during  this 
period  was  the  M.  E.  church  at  Smithtown.  In  the  town  of  Stillwater, 
the  Presbyterian  church  at  Ketchum's  Corners  was  incorporated  Jan- 
uary 22,  1866,  when  Tyler  Dunham,  Edward  Moore  and  William  Flag- 
ler were  elected  elders  and  John  H.  Brightman  deacon.  The  house  of 
worship  was  dedicated  December  12,  1866,  by  Rev.  A.  M.  Beveridge 
of  Lansingburgh.     Rev.  William  M.  Johnson  was  the  first  pastor. 

Until  1874  the  Catholics  of  Stillwater  attended  church  at  Mechanic- 
ville.  In  that  year  a  separate  society  was  formed  at  Stillwater,  the  old 
edifice  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  society  was  purchased  and  a  society 
organized. 

The  Episcopal  church  at  East  Line,  in  the  town  of  Ballston,  was 
established  in  1876,  under  direction  of  the  Rev.  William  Delafield, 
rector  of  Christ  Episcopal  church  at  Ballston  Sp^.  Services  have  not 
been  held  there  regularly  for  several  years. 

In  Corinth,  the  Free  Methodist  church  at  Jessup's  Landing  was  or- 
ganized as  a  class  in  November,  1867. 


283  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

In  the  fall  of  1868  Rev.  C.  T.  V.  Eastman,  rector  of  the  Church  of 
the  Redeemer  at  Northampton,  Fulton  county,  organized  St.  John's 
Episcopal  church  at  Conklingville.  Thomas  Gillespie  and  Samuel 
Kinnear  were  the  first  wardens,  and  James  Parker,  John  Hall,  sr., 
Thomas  Evans  and  William  W.  Foulks  the  first  vestrymen.  The 
corner  stone  of  the  house  of  worship  was  laid  by  Bishop  Doane  of 
Albany  September  17,  1870. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Day  Centre  was  formed  as  a  class 
in  October,  1865.  The  church  was  erected  in  the  fall  of  1868  and  ded- 
icated the  following  winter.     Rev.  J.  K.  Wager  was  its  first  pastor. 

St.  Paul's  Catholic  church  at  Rock  City  Falls  was  built  early  in  1873, 
and  the  society  regularly  organized  and  incorporated  in  July,  1874,  by 
Rev.  Father  McMenomy,  who  attended  it  while  residing  at  Saratoga 
Springs.  The  church  was  dedicated  by  Bishop  McNierny,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1877.  Rev.  Father  Smith,  then  Rev.  Father  Mullany,  were  the 
first  pastors,  the  latter  being  the  first  resident  priest.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded in  1884  by  Father  Donahue,  who  attended  Gal  way  as  a  mission, 
and  built  the  church  there  about  1884.  Father  McGeough  of  Ballston 
Spa  bought  the  land  where  the  present  St.  Mary's  church  in  Galway 
now  stands.  In  May,  1888,  Father  Quinn  succeeded  Father  Donahue. 
Father  Quinn  established  his  residence  at  Galway,  and  Rock  City  Falls 
then  became  a  mission  to  Galway.  In  October,  1897,  Rev.  Father 
Barrett  of  St.  Mary's  church,  Troy,  became  pastor  of  the  two  churches. 

The  Wilton  Methodist  Episcopal  charge  comprises  the  three  churches 
of  that  denomination  within  the  town — at  South  Wilton,  Gurn  Spring 
(formerly  Kent),  and  Wilton  (formerly  Wiltonviile).  The  house  of 
worship  at  Wilton  was  built  in  1860,  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  R.  G. 
Adams,  At  Gurn  Spring  a  church  was  erected  in  1886  during  the 
pastorate  of  Rev,  Charles  B.  Lewis.  The  old  "Union  church  "  is  now 
the  property  of  the  town  and  is  used  as  a  town  hall.  For  many  years 
the  M.  E.  society  at  South  Wilton  has  been  quite  strong.  About  1888 
the  interior  of  the  church  was  entirely  renewed  at  considerable  expense, 
and  during  1897-98,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  William  H.  Edwards, 
it  was  repainted.     The  latter  is  the  present  pastor  of  these  churches. 

A  Methodist  Episcopal  church  was  built  at  Middle  Grove,  in  the 
town  of  Greenfield,  in  1888.  The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  George  M. 
Moody. 


1861-1898-  SCHOOLS.  283 

SCHOOLS. 

For  years  the  youth  of  Saratoga  county  have  enjoyed  educational 
advantages  unexcelled  by  those  of  any  other  community  in  the  country.